Comments on: Infrastructures as indicators http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2007/08/23/infrasructures-as-indicators/ mind/tech bazar from outer space Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:23:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: ville http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2007/08/23/infrasructures-as-indicators/#comment-436182 ville Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:54:15 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2007/08/23/infrasructures-as-indicators/#comment-436182 A year ago I presented in some seminar where one of the pioneers of participatory design of ICTs, <a href="http://portal.acm.org/results.cfm?query=author%3APelle%20Ehn" rel="nofollow">Pelle Ehn</a> was part of the audience. I tried to present some stuff about classification as infrastructure and why its needed and what it is, with also referring to Bowker & Star (if I remember right). Ehn then suggested that maybe it's not so much the question of 'WHAT infrastructure/classification are' but 'WHEN infrastructure and classification are'.. I was a bit puzzled about the enigmatic comment, but later it has started to make more and more sense. What I think, he meant, was about considering infrastructure as situated and dynamic even if it doesn't appear that way. Another interesting way to think about infrastructure is that it's a byproduct of activity. :) A year ago I presented in some seminar where one of the pioneers of participatory design of ICTs, Pelle Ehn was part of the audience. I tried to present some stuff about classification as infrastructure and why its needed and what it is, with also referring to Bowker & Star (if I remember right). Ehn then suggested that maybe it’s not so much the question of ‘WHAT infrastructure/classification are’ but ‘WHEN infrastructure and classification are’.. I was a bit puzzled about the enigmatic comment, but later it has started to make more and more sense. What I think, he meant, was about considering infrastructure as situated and dynamic even if it doesn’t appear that way.

Another interesting way to think about infrastructure is that it’s a byproduct of activity. :)

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