The public lecture is part of the internal authors workshop “Taming digital practices – On the domestication of data-driven technologies”

“Domestication Theory or Domesticating Theory? Some Reflections on the Life of a Concept”

In this talk, the question of taming and the origins of the idea of ‚domesticating technologies‘ (in the very early material from Silverstone et al.) will be revisited and reflected upon. Who or what tames who or what? And what exactly is meant by taming (and how does this potentially differ from domesticating)? These questions will be addressed with additional references to work from a collection of articles on domestication that I am currently editing, which provides ample material from ongoing studies and adds up-to-date theoretical reflections. The presentation therefore combines a review of the domestication concept over the years with the basic question of what taming could actually mean for all parties involved.

Maren Hartmann is professor of Communication and Media Sociology at Universität der Künste, Berlin.