Sarah R. Davies

Hackerspace=makerspace. It is a physical location where actual people gather to tear down and rebuild better. They are increasingly popular; there are well over 1300 of them around the world. This book is a superficially ethnographic look at a dozen or so mostly American hackerspaces.

Hackerspaces work best in anarchy. Think co-op without regulations. They resent the corporate, where too much time is spent talking: focus groups, consensus, making it perfect, and justifying the need. Instead of approval from authorities, they prize do-ocracy; whoever actually does something wins praise, even if the majority does not agree. Someone else can undo it later and win too. The important thing is to take action. What pressure there is comes internally for everyone to have their own very real project. It could be hacking software, building new machines, repurposing or improving something, or designing new clothing or foods. Everything is valid, as long as you actively pursue it.

What the book reveals is that hackerspaces are basically no different than any other endeavor. They must deal with bullies, pigs, greed, sexism, racism, slackers, lurkers and thieves. They are just reinventing the wheel at the organizational level, but providing a badly needed outlet for creatives in many disciplines. The book constantly returns to the effect of real community. People learning from people, helping each other, co-operating and building together. It is a lifesaver for many who would otherwise tinker in solitude, if at all. It never uses the words validates or reinforces, but that’s what it’s all about.

What could have been exciting is unfortunately boring. Davies recites the same few stories over and over. She hardly delves into actual successes or journeys. And she skirts the issues of the importance of the movement. Serious Leisure will soon become the norm, as robots and artificial intelligence make more and more people redundant. Work weeks will drop to 15 hours. Where will all their talents and creativity be channeled in a world that texts instead of talks, posts instead of meets? This is a serious issue and Hackerspaces could have tackled it. It would have given it all perspective and raised the importance level. But it’s not there, missing along with the legends. Hackerspaces needs its own hacker.

David Wineberg… (meer)