The Role of Academic Associations in Promoting Social Action

This paper debates whether the Association for Information Systems (AIS) and similar academic associations should leverage their power, resources, and collective expertise to promote the utilization of information technology for supporting social action undertaken by its members. Social action refers to activities designed to generate an impact on the well-being of society. The paper suggests that the AIS should advance cautiously by supporting and empowering members in their quest to engage in social action. The paper also explores the mechanism needed to realize this vision. We conclude that the community should hold further debates on the scope of the association’s involvement and procedures in various fora of interest.