This book explores the intricate connections that link the current digitalization of manufacturing to our daily lives and identities as members of highly technologized societies. Based on extensive research on the prosthetics industry in Germany, the USA, Canada, and Haiti, the author demonstrates the socio-material construction of users, examining the ways in which the introduction of 3D printing changes how artificial limbs are designed, manufactured, distributed and used. Addressing questions surrounding the capacity of flexible production to afford greater diversity of user roles, and the likelihood of 3D printing allowing for open-source hardware and the democratization of production, the author presents a theory of digitalization that sheds light on the dynamics of industrial transformation and the future of use. An empirically grounded and conceptually informed study, The Socio-Material Construction of Users will appeal to researchers in the fields of sociology, science and technology studies and organization studies, as well as readers interested in 3D printing and the digitalization of society.

This book traces how the current wave of industrial digitalization relates to processes of domination and emancipation. It aims to counter techno-deterministic narratives that would connect a perceived new 'industrial revolution' with clear-cut societal consequences. In order to do this, the volume intervenes into three ongoing discussions which pertain to emancipation and domination in the workplace, promises of emancipation through digital fabrication, and the idea of emancipating, configuring, and infrastructuring the users of industrial products. Within this framework it addresses topics including democratic participation, management thinking, gamification, the maker movement, reshoring, digital platforms, and the automation of healthcare.

Der Band setzt es sich zum Ziel, zentrale Ergebnisse des Graduiertenkollegs Innovationsgesellschft heute zu sammeln und in Hinblick auf dessen übergreifende theoretische Ansätze, empirische Gegenstände und gesellschaftlich relevante Fragestellungen zu reflektieren. Was haben wir über die Strukturen und Dynamiken der Innovationsgesellschaft gelernt und wie haben sich diese über den Forschungszeitraum weiterentwickelt? Wie konstituieren sich Innovationsfelder und andere innovationsbezogene Mesoordnungen und welche Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede lassen sich zwischen ihnen feststellen? Welche neuen Praktiken reflexiver Innovation bilden sich heraus und welche Steuerungsprobleme, unintendierte Nebenfolgen und Gegenbewegungen sind mit ihnen verbunden? In welchem Verhältnis steht Innovation zu etablierten Strukturen, feldspezifischen Materialitäten und gesellschaftsweiten Entwicklungen wie etwa der Digitalisierung? Welche Rolle spielen gesellschaftliche Krisen bei der Hervorbringung und Durchsetzung von Innovationen?

This book traces how the current wave of industrial digitalization relates to processes of domination and emancipation. It aims to counter techno-deterministic narratives that would connect a perceived new 'industrial revolution' with clear-cut societal consequences. In order to do this, the volume intervenes into three ongoing discussions which pertain to emancipation and domination in the workplace, promises of emancipation through digital fabrication, and the idea of emancipating, configuring, and infrastructuring the users of industrial products. Within this framework it addresses topics including democratic participation, management thinking, gamification, the maker movement, reshoring, digital platforms, and the automation of healthcare.