YSS-31806 Consumer, Technology and Innovation
Lecture 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
Lecture 2: User perspective and practices ........................................................................................... 3
Lecture 3: Mobile Social Gaming and Social Tipping Dynamics for Sustainability ................................ 5
Lecture 4: Communication .................................................................................................................. 8
Lecture 5: Technology and social health inequalities ........................................................................ 10
Guest Lecture: Ommetje ................................................................................................................... 12
Lecture 6: Technology acceptance and use ....................................................................................... 14
Lecture 7: The importance of evidence-based policy ........................................................................ 16
Lecture 8: Who is in charge of what we think? .................................................................................. 20
Q&A - Content Communication Perspective...................................................................................... 24
1
,Lecture 1: Introduction
Learning objectives:
• Explain the use of consumer technology on different levels
• Explain the dynamics behind differences in the adoption of consumer technologies and
innovations
• Explain how consumer technology and innovation can influence societal dynamics
• Analyse the interaction between human and material factors in consumer technology use to
steer innovation
• Evaluate effects of consumer technology and innovation on health, food security, and
sustainability using different theoretical accounts
• Design and execute a research from a consumer perspective, investigating …
The grand challenges”
Sustainable solutions in areas such as…
• Global warming
• Tightening supplies of energy, water and food
• Ageing societies
• Public health
• Pandemics
• Security
Different perspectives in this course:
• It’s an approach or angle
• Using different theoretical accounts
• ‘Language’ (discourse) is different
• Sociological perspective: understanding of social processes
• Economics: relation consumption and system
• Communication perspective: focus on communication and interaction
• User perspective: human and material factors
Different perspectives in this course:
Plant-based (food) technology, for example:
• Sociological: investigate vegan lifestyle and identity
• Economics: (new) social norms and diffusion of innovation
• Communication: influencers, framing
• User perspective: human and material factors
Studying technology and innovation:
Technology determinism (Veblen, 1857-1929): technology determines social change.
Reply:
Social constructivism of technology (e.g. Latour, 1987): society changes technology
Implications for the discourse:
‘To develop a technology to improve lifestyle behaviour’
‘Impact of technology’
Is that a) technological determinism or b) social construction of technology?
Implications of COVID-situation for innovation
What technologies do you now use more?
Brem et al (2021):
• Technological developments to cope with confinement
2
, • Is there a back to old normal? Can “forced adoption” be reversed?
• Innovation processes may be beneficial in new crises
Lecture 2: User perspective and practices
After this lecture the students are expected to be able to:
• Understand the functioning of a household as a production and consumption system with
respect to technical and social elements from a user perspective
• Understand the practice theory in relation to technology …
User perspective:
Who is the user?
• Why not talking about the consumer perspective?
o The consumer is the person who makes use of the outcome
o The user is the person who is actually interacting with the product
• A person
o Using materials, technologies, and/or services for his/her basic needs
o In the context of care taking in daily life
o With its known possibilities and limitations
• Focus on the interaction between user and technology
On different levels:
• Micro (individual)
• Meso (household)
• Macro (societal)
o In this course: micro and miso
Consumer-Technology Interaction model: (consumer because it’s not professional use)
Household group:
• The household group forms the daily context of the user
• The household group performs activities aimed at the satisfaction of every day material needs
of human beings and which creates material conditions for their immaterial needs (Zuidberg,
1981)
• Characteristics of the group:
o Possibly family ties
o Life cycle
3
Lecture 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2
Lecture 2: User perspective and practices ........................................................................................... 3
Lecture 3: Mobile Social Gaming and Social Tipping Dynamics for Sustainability ................................ 5
Lecture 4: Communication .................................................................................................................. 8
Lecture 5: Technology and social health inequalities ........................................................................ 10
Guest Lecture: Ommetje ................................................................................................................... 12
Lecture 6: Technology acceptance and use ....................................................................................... 14
Lecture 7: The importance of evidence-based policy ........................................................................ 16
Lecture 8: Who is in charge of what we think? .................................................................................. 20
Q&A - Content Communication Perspective...................................................................................... 24
1
,Lecture 1: Introduction
Learning objectives:
• Explain the use of consumer technology on different levels
• Explain the dynamics behind differences in the adoption of consumer technologies and
innovations
• Explain how consumer technology and innovation can influence societal dynamics
• Analyse the interaction between human and material factors in consumer technology use to
steer innovation
• Evaluate effects of consumer technology and innovation on health, food security, and
sustainability using different theoretical accounts
• Design and execute a research from a consumer perspective, investigating …
The grand challenges”
Sustainable solutions in areas such as…
• Global warming
• Tightening supplies of energy, water and food
• Ageing societies
• Public health
• Pandemics
• Security
Different perspectives in this course:
• It’s an approach or angle
• Using different theoretical accounts
• ‘Language’ (discourse) is different
• Sociological perspective: understanding of social processes
• Economics: relation consumption and system
• Communication perspective: focus on communication and interaction
• User perspective: human and material factors
Different perspectives in this course:
Plant-based (food) technology, for example:
• Sociological: investigate vegan lifestyle and identity
• Economics: (new) social norms and diffusion of innovation
• Communication: influencers, framing
• User perspective: human and material factors
Studying technology and innovation:
Technology determinism (Veblen, 1857-1929): technology determines social change.
Reply:
Social constructivism of technology (e.g. Latour, 1987): society changes technology
Implications for the discourse:
‘To develop a technology to improve lifestyle behaviour’
‘Impact of technology’
Is that a) technological determinism or b) social construction of technology?
Implications of COVID-situation for innovation
What technologies do you now use more?
Brem et al (2021):
• Technological developments to cope with confinement
2
, • Is there a back to old normal? Can “forced adoption” be reversed?
• Innovation processes may be beneficial in new crises
Lecture 2: User perspective and practices
After this lecture the students are expected to be able to:
• Understand the functioning of a household as a production and consumption system with
respect to technical and social elements from a user perspective
• Understand the practice theory in relation to technology …
User perspective:
Who is the user?
• Why not talking about the consumer perspective?
o The consumer is the person who makes use of the outcome
o The user is the person who is actually interacting with the product
• A person
o Using materials, technologies, and/or services for his/her basic needs
o In the context of care taking in daily life
o With its known possibilities and limitations
• Focus on the interaction between user and technology
On different levels:
• Micro (individual)
• Meso (household)
• Macro (societal)
o In this course: micro and miso
Consumer-Technology Interaction model: (consumer because it’s not professional use)
Household group:
• The household group forms the daily context of the user
• The household group performs activities aimed at the satisfaction of every day material needs
of human beings and which creates material conditions for their immaterial needs (Zuidberg,
1981)
• Characteristics of the group:
o Possibly family ties
o Life cycle
3
