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'''Social artifact''' is any product of individuals or groups ([[social being]]s) or of their [[social behavior]].
Artifacts are the objects or products designed and used by people to meet re-occurring needs or to solve problems.
An example of a common social artifact is a [[document]].
The philosopher Marx W. Wartofsky distinguished several types of artifacts:
- primary artifacts, which are used in production (e.g., a hammer, a fork, a lamp, a camera, etc.)
- secondary artifacts, which are representations of primary artifacts (e.g., a user manual for a camera)
- tertiary artifacts, which are representations of secondary artifacts
== See also ==
Habib, Laurence, and Line Wittek (2007). The portfolio as artefact and actor. Mind, Culture and Activity, Vol. 14, No. 4, ISSN 1074-9039.
Wartofsky, Marx W. (1973). Models: Representation and scientific understanding. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Reidel.
[[Category: General Reference]]