Conceptualizing re-domestication: theoretical reflections and empirical findings to a neglected concept

Peil, Corinna; Röser, Jutta

Review article (book contribution)

Abstract

To emphasize the non-linearity and unfinished nature of the media domestication process, reference is occasionally made to phases of re-domestication and de-domestication (e.g., Berker et al. 2006: 3). However, these terms are usually not discussed and defined in more detail. This is where we would like to start with our contribution and shed more light on the concept of “re-domestication” in particular. Re-domestication refers to phases in which domestic media appropriation receives new impulses and can take new paths. The underlying reasons are manifold; they can have material or everyday-related causes, for example technological innovations, changed living conditions or shifts in the significance of individual devices within the media ensemble. Although the change-intensive phases of re- domestication are very given their inherent socio-technical dynamics, they have not received much attention in either theoretical or empirical research. Taking these considerations as the starting point of this article, we will take a closer look at the concept of re-domestication and in this way attempt to fill a theoretical gap. Drawing on historical and current domestication studies, we will first elaborate and critical discuss existing conceptualizations and understandings of re-domestication. We then present three domestication studies which we use to outline in more detail how re-domestication processes can arise, what interactions are at work, and what consequences such processes can have. Central to the discussion of our findings are insights gained in the course of an ethnographically oriented long-term study on the mediatization of the home between 2008 and 2016.

Details zur Publikation

Book title: The Routledge Handbook of Media and Technology Domestication
Release year: 2023
ISBN: 978-1-032-18414-2
Language in which the publication is written: English
Event: London
Link to the full text: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/76514