Cleaning our Plates: Information Systems Contributions Toward Animal Liberation

Abstract

Animals experience complex emotional lives and have the capability to suffer. Much of that suffering is inflicted by humans, often exacerbated through designing and using information system artifacts. Inspired by animal-computer interaction research in computer science, this paper proposes a model of Animal-Human-Information System interactions based on representation theory to understand animals as stakeholders in systems development. Focus is placed on animals as users of systems and the impacts that systems have on animals directly and indirectly to reduce animal suffering. Research directions for information systems scholars are discussed.