Are social explanations, as we know them, adequate to account for the complexity of contemporary society and the ongoing emergence of new actors and new phenomena? To the Actor-Network Theory, there are no doubts: social factors are not sufficient to explain the dynamics of society. It is necessary to use heterogeneous factors, taking into account non-human elements and technology. That is, to explain the social, it's necessary to consider social relations, “non-human actants” and the technical procedure in which they are involved.This article will present the conceptual foundations of this new sociological approach, an applied example in the context of research conducted on innovation, and, finally, some lessons and conclusions regarding their applications, potentials and limitations.