User:)biyibiyibiyi(/RW&RM 04/proposal 0 1 0
What do you want to make?
I propose to produce a series of tutorials, manuals, blogs, and hacked objects within the context of DIY networking. Grass root DIY networking has been an topic of interest during the last fifteen years in Europe and North America, as a response towards pathologies of the modern networked world, such as opacity of network infrastructure and asymmetry of power between network monopolies and users (Dragona & Charitos, 2017). The building and facilitation of DIY networks utilize Free/Libre Open Source Software (F/LOSS) tools and adhere to its core principles of freedom to use, modify and redistribute. As F/LOSS advocate for radical openness and promise a democratic model of collaborative framework, certain barriers remain visible, such as low participating rate of female contributors, technical barriers for laypersons, and meritocracy within the system (Nafus, 2011). The writing of technical textual mediums of tutorials and manuals tend to imply these hindrances as well. While these textual mediums tend to be plain, instructive and serve as textual interfaces for participants to be able to utilize and modify the tools and hold discussions around the community, the sociality of these textual medium are often undermined. The expression “RTFM”, Read the F*** Manual illustrates an example of disassociation of caring social relationship between the creator and users (Nafus, 2011). My project attempt to re-investigate the role of textual mediums within DIY/DIWO networking projects. I want to emphasize the participatory potentials of technical textual mediums. I see technical textual mediums as sites to share, invite, interject discourses despite of participants' varied technical skills; through these reciprocal actions, the social dimension of technical texts can be amplified, and facilitate environment for further critical collective making.