Science studies pay close attention to the institutions that facilitate the construction of facts. Traditionally, institutions were seen as stable and autonomous, functioning on the objective nature independently from subjective society and human interactions. However, institutions are dynamic processes, shaped through ongoing mediation and negotiation between a variety of actors.
Institutions are not merely passive structures but active agents in the construction of scientific knowledge. In Pandora’s Hope, Bruno Latour uses the example of scientists collecting soil samples in the Amazon rainforest to demonstrate this understanding. The process of constructing facts is deeply rely on an interconnected network of protocols, tools, instruments, and supports. Rather than simply uncovering objective truths, these facts emerge through a co-constructed process involving active agents, scientists, conditions of felicities, sensors and other technical instruments. All these elements, linked together in what Latour calls "circulating reference," play a role in the institutional framework. The institution, therefore, encompasses this entire interconnections, reflecting the collective efforts involved in the construction of facts.
Far from being static, institutions are continuously shaped and maintained through the interactions of various actors, including instruments and non-human entities, rather than existing apart from them. This makes institutions inherently contingent, relying on the continual work of sustaining the interconnectedness, thus reflecting its fluidity and adaptability for an actor to maintain its means of action.