# Aesthetic Perspectives in Information Systems Research: A Hermeneutic Analysis

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.09839 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.09839/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 1 of its 69 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [AI Companions Reduce Loneliness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.19096/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

How might implicit aesthetic perspectives shape what Information Systems (IS) scholarship recognises as worthy of study (or not)? In this hermeneutic literature analysis, we surface foundational aesthetic assumptions underpinning IS research. We identify four perspectives (aesthetics as imitation, sensory experience, world-making, and political doing) that guide how IS scholars perceive and appreciate sociotechnical phenomena. These perspectives influence what becomes recognisable as legitimate research and what remains unseen. By making aesthetic assumptions explicit, we show how they form epistemic infrastructure that conditions horizons of inquiry. We apply this framework to algorithmic management and digitally mediated intimacy, revealing how alternative perspectives open new research questions whilst exposing dimensions that dominant framings overlook. This analysis foregrounds the importance of aesthetic philosophy to IS literature, offering a vocabulary for articulating how aesthetic perspectives shape theorising, method, and contribution.