Collaborative domestication

This article proposes an extension to domestication theory by introducing the concept of collaborative domestication, which we define as the ongoing mutual influence and interdependence of technology users in specific interactional contexts. This concept arose from our investigation of how patients integrate healthcare-related video consultations into their daily lives. In Denmark, the Covid-19 pandemic has expedited the implementation of video consultations in general practice, yet little is known about their use in this context. To address this, we conducted 13 interviews with patients and analysed the interviews from the perspective of domestication theory. We find that the general practitioner plays a central role throughout patients’ domestication processes, and the doctor–patient relationship significantly influences how patients experience video consultations. We argue that there is a collaborative aspect to domesticating video consultations that needs to be considered in both future studies and the ongoing implementation of video consultations

The struggle and enrichment of play: Domestications and overflows in the everyday life of gamer parents

Gaming is a frequent source of conflict for families. Research on parents and gaming has identified a lack of gaming-related expertise, a general devaluation or fear of play, and authoritative and restrictive parenting styles as key sources of conflict. What happens when these deficits are addressed? What does mediation look like when parents are expert gamers, enjoy play, and encourage play for their children? Based on qualitative interviews with 29 parents who identify as gamers, we explore how gamer parents domesticate games. To explore the work of stabilising gaming as a wholesome and valued pastime, we combine domestication theory with overflows to address the struggles involved. The analysis investigates how gamer parents mediate play, with an emphasis on how games are interpreted, the family's player practices, and the role of gaming-related expertise in accordance with the three dimensions (symbolic, practice, cognitive) of domestication theory.

Toddlers’ digital media practices and everyday parental struggles: Interactions and meaning-making as digital media are domesticated

In this article, the Swedish findings from a European comparative study on 0–3-year-old children and their digital lives are presented and discussed in relation to domestication theory, including the concept of moral economy. More specifically, attention is paid to toddler's appropriation of digital technology and the parents’ moral struggles: the negotiations between the parents concerning the introduction of digital media practices in early childhood, the selection of content, and the monitoring of children. Parents of very young children have ambivalent feelings towards digital media technologies and struggle to make the right decision for their children. The study demonstrates that the domestication of digital technology in early childhood is far more multifaceted and troublesome for parents to handle than previous research has found.

The COVID digital home assemblage: Transforming the home into a work space during the crisis

Major changes to home life and work practices globally have been brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. Periods of strict restrictions placed on people’s movements outside their homes, aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, have meant that the home was requisitioned as a primary site for work for many people. In this article, we draw on case studies from an ethnographic project that explored how people living in Sydney use digital technologies in the home setting. Our fieldwork commenced in early 2020, just prior to the national COVID lockdown period in Australia, and continued throughout the lockdown and the months following. As a result, we were able to document people’s experiences of transitioning to working from home during the first year of the pandemic. In this article, we adopt a sociomaterial approach together with domestication theory to analyse the complexities of the changed COVID home in the context of digitised working arrangements. We surface and theorise the tensions and leaky boundaries between workplaces and family/domestic life that are brought about by, through and beyond the digital. By addressing the sociomaterial choreographies and modalities of presence involved, we attempt to capture the processes through which the COVID digital home assemblage is continuously configured and the more or less simultaneous presence and absence of people in both domestic and work domains.

Intensive human contact correlates with smaller brains: differential brain size reduction in cattle types

Cattle are one of the most intensively bred domestic animals, providing humans with a multitude of products and uses. Using data from the fossil record, we test if their domestication, as for other taxa, has resulted in a reduction of their brain size. We not only conclude that Bos taurus (domestic cattle) have smaller brains than their wild ancestor, Bos primigenius (aurochs), but that brain size varies significantly by breed, with some having much smaller brains than others. Differences in husbandry practices between several breed categories align with a range of human engagement, which also aligns with the degree of selection for docility. Sampling 317 domestics from 71 breeds, we investigate if differences in brain size correlate with the intensity of human contact. A clear pattern emerges whereby a brain reduction gradient parallels a gradient in behavioural selection. Bullfighting cattle, which are bred for fighting and aggressive temperament, have much larger brains than dairy breeds, which are intensively selected for docility. Our results add to a fundamental aspect of animal domestication theory: the interplay between basic features of the domestic environment—selection for docility, absence of predators and human provision of resources—seems to explain differences in brain size.

Charging of electric vehicles and potential for end user flexibility: Case study from Norway

Background Norway is currently in the process of replacing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with electric vehicles (EV). The steadily increasing number of EVs being charged in the mornings and evenings in Norway has added strain to local electricity grids. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of participants in one Norwegian demonstration project on smart EV charging, which intends to make charging more flexible. In order to establish a systematic overview of the relationship between everyday complexities and EV charging end user flexibility, we employ a domestication theory approach and analyze how different charging practices becomes a part of everyday life. Result In this paper we argue that the domestication theory approach, with its focus on symbolic, practical, and cognitive aspects of technology use and appropriation, highlights how EV uptake and ancillary technologies is modulated by a wide array of factors. Our findings present four different motivations behind our respondents’ choice to participate in a smart charging pilot. The first one is the fire safe charging device. Second is motivated by the pure joy of smart home technology, third is the practical- economical motivation, and the fourth is flexibility as comfort. Conclusions In the green transition whit new renewables and the electrification of transport system the EV charges are a hot spot. By analyzing how different EV owner’s domestication their EV charging we can understand how flexibility from the end-user are individual practice that is connected to the everyday life routine and interest. EV owners do not have one profile but are driven by different kind of motivation. This micro perspective of understanding the flexibility is crucial when the individuals EV charging practice is both a part of the challenges and the solution in the energy transition where the electric grid need to be stabilized.

Domestication of Telecentres by Malawian Rural Women

The potential of telecentres to bridge the digital divide can only be realised when their services are appropriated by all groups in the community. Previous studies show that in Malawi only a few women use telecentres. This article used Domestication Theory to explain the processes through which women in rural Malawi encounter technologies, deal with them and integrate them into their lives. Data was obtained via interviews with women (both users and non-users) and a Telecentre Manager. The study shows that: i) commodification was influenced mainly by word of mouth; ii) the women who appropriated the Telecentre used it for instrumental and hedonic purposes; iii) the appropriation was influenced by convenience, compatibility with the needs of women and perceived usefulness of the Telecentre; and iv) non-use was due to lack of awareness, illiteracy, limited financial resources, cultural roles and perceptions about the telecentres. The findings could help policymakers in maximising use of telecentres among women.

Domesticating Gay Apps: An Intersectional Analysis of the Use of Blued Among Chinese Gay Men

Drawing on domestication theory and intersectionality theory, this study explores the multiple roles dating apps play in Chinese gay men’s lives amid changing personal and social circumstances. We present in-depth narratives of three Blued users from different generations and classes with unique relationship statuses. The app’s geo-locative features strengthened the gay capital of our younger participant but threatened our middle-aged, closeted participant. Although coming from a homophobic generation, our senior participant had no issue becoming an online celebrity on the app because his wife had passed away, pointing out the intersectional influence of generational and relational backgrounds. Our participants’ socio-economic positions also shaped whom they would interact with on Blued and how these interactions took place. These observations illustrate the relationship between users’ intersectional positions and their domestication of Blued, complementing existing dating app studies that skew toward younger users and focus only on certain elements of app use.

Domesticating dating apps: Non-single Chinese gay men’s dating app use and negotiations of relational boundaries

Dating app use is prevalent among non-single Chinese gay men. Applying domestication theory, this study explores how dating apps can be accepted in gay romantic relationships. The author argues that the domestication of technological artifacts unfolds on four dimensions: the practical, the symbolic, the cognitive, and the relational. Findings show that dating apps serve a dual role: a pool of sexual or romantic alternatives and a channel to the gay community. Although the former constitutes a threat to monogamy, the latter leaves room for a couple’s negotiation for acceptable but restricted uses. This negotiation is in tandem with the negotiation of relational boundaries, which leads to either the reinforcement of monogamy or the embrace of non-monogamy. Meanwhile, one can perceive dating apps to be as unremarkable as other social media platforms. This is achieved through a cognitive process where gay men learn to debunk the arbitrary association between dating apps and infidelity. Monogamous or not, they put faith in user agency, not perceiving dating apps as a real threat to romantic relationships.

DIGITAL DETOX CAMP: VALUES AND MOTIVATIONS FOR ENGAGING IN DIGITAL DISCONNECT

Media users increasingly express ambivalence about their own media consumption, often related to ubiquitous media technology such as the smartphone and social media. In order to understand the growing trend of disconnection as a cultural and social phenomenon, we conducted an analysis of the digital detox inspired camp for grownups, Underleir, which has been arranged in Norway annually since 2014. The main empirical material stems from a field study of the camp Underleir in 2019 where we conducted participatory observation on a four-day field trip. Online material about the camp from the inception in 2014 to the sixth installment in 2019 was also included. The framework for this analysis is media domestication theory with special attention to the concept reverse domestication. In contrast to the domestication process where new media technology is "tamed", reverse domestication implies cognitive processes and practical strategies involved when distancing from media technology. Underleir illustrates how practical, social, and normative aspects may be interwoven when media use is reversed or altered. Normatively speaking, the digital detox experience was tied to broader sets of values, including an aim for a more creative, authentic life and a quest for mental wellbeing and the ability to focus. Many participants stated that the opportunity to engage in creative activities, and to be social in a friendly setting, was just as important as the absence of media.