Making at the Margins: Making in an Under-resourced e-Waste Recycling Centre

Vyas, Dhaval and Vines, John (2019) Making at the Margins: Making in an Under-resourced e-Waste Recycling Centre. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 3 (CSCW). p. 188. ISSN 2573-0142

[img]
Preview
Text
cscw19a-sub1752-i14.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (766kB) | Preview
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1145/3359290

Abstract

HCI1and CSCW literature has extensively studied a wide variety of maker cultures. In this paper, we focus on understanding what making is like for people and communities who do not have access to advanced technological infrastructures. We report on six-month-long ethnographic fieldwork at a non-profit, resource-constrained, e-waste recycling centre that engages members from a low socioeconomic status (SES) community in making activities. Our findings show that making in such a setting is shaped by local economic and social factors in a resource-constrained environment and highlight how this community engages in a wide range of making activities. In describing these making activities, we emphasize how making was conducted to purposely enable ongoing and future making by others; promoted the wellbeing and skill development of centre members; and was socially-engaged to address concerns in the local community. We conclude by discussing how such type of making contributes a new understanding of maker culture, one that is appreciative of resource-constraints, integrates different sources of value, and is embedded in local place.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: W200 Design studies
Department: Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Design
Depositing User: Elena Carlaw
Date Deposited: 04 Nov 2019 14:26
Last Modified: 31 Jul 2021 20:32
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/41351

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics