How the rich lens of ANT can help us to understand the advantages of mobile solutions.

Abstract

The WHO has labelled diabetes the silent epidemic. This is because the instances of diabetes worldwide continue to grow expontentially. In fact, by 2030 it is expected that there will be a 54% global increase. Thus it behoves all to focus on solutions that can result in superior management of this disease. Hence, this chapter presents findings from a longitudinal exploratory case study that examined the application of a pervasive technology solution, a mobile phone to provide superior diabetes self-care. Notably the benefits of a pervasive technology solution for supporting superior self-care in the context of chronic disease are made especially apparent when viewed through the rich lens of Actor Network Theory (ANT), and thus, the chapter underscores the importance of using ANT in such contexts to facilitate a deeper understanding of all potential advantages.