Hardware hopes : examining emotional connections to computers through creative story telling

KEYTE, Julia (2015). Hardware hopes : examining emotional connections to computers through creative story telling. In: PLATE (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) Conference, Nottingham Trent University, 17-19 June 2015. (In Press)

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Abstract

Hardware Hopes is a qualitative research project initiated to explore the personal and emotional side of our relationships with computing devices, by inviting people to tell the stories of the devices they own (e.g. laptops, desktop computers, smartphones, tablets), and asking them to consider how they feel about them. Through analysis of the collected stories I am investigating the ways in which emotion is present, or absent, in our relationships to computing hardware.

Recent work in HCI and design establishes the case for designing longer lifespans into computing devices, to address the problem of increasing waste produced by the fast consumption cycles associated with electronic products. These researchers advocate finding new ways of relating to, and caring for, our devices. The research documented in this paper attempts to understand the emotional and material factors that affect the longevity of people’s personal relationships with computing devices. Computer obsolescence and replacement is often reported and marketed as a necessary byproduct of technological progress, but the reality of deciding whether a personal computing device should be kept or disposed of is personal and idiosyncratic, and messier than it may at first seem. Understanding the factors that influence whether a device is kept can tell us about the lifespan and obsolescence of computing devices.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Research Institute, Centre or Group - Does NOT include content added after October 2018:	Cultural Communication and Computing Research Institute > Art and Design Research Centre
Depositing User:	Julia Keyte
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2015 10:21
Last Modified:	18 Mar 2021 08:46
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10281

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