IRC Interview with expert user

Abstract

Chapter 4 demonstrates design and appropriation by way of case examples ranging from explicit participation (game console hacking) to implicit user participation in information management processes. These cases illustrate to what extent computer technology and software, in tandem with the Internet, create the possibility of countless concatenations between the various actors involved. This chapter shows that participation is heterogeneous with respect to methods, participants, and motivation, and hybrid with respect to collaborative human and non-human formations. It furthermore reveals significant interrelationships between corporations, user communities, media platforms, and sociotechnical ecosystems, and it argues for a perception of participatory culture as an extension of the established cultural industries.