What is an Information System?

This paper aims to advance understanding of information systems (IS) through a critical reflection on how IS are currently defined in the IS literature. Using the hermeneutic approach for conducting literature reviews the paper identifies 34 definitions of IS in the literature. Based on the analysis of these 34 definitions four different views of IS are distinguished: a technology view emphasizing the technological aspects of IS, a social view emphasizing the socio cultural aspects, a socio-technical view emphasizing the interconnection of technology and social elements, and a process view emphasizing the activity orientation of IS. The paper critically examines the contributions and limitations of these different approaches for understanding and theorizing IS. Based on this examination the paper argues to for the need to develop an additional, alternative sociomaterial conceptualization of IS based on a non-dualist, relational ontology.