Smart futures meet northern realities: anthropological perspectives on the design and adoption of urban computing

• Main Author: Ylipulli, J. (Johanna)
• Other Authors: Heikkinen, H. (Hannu I.), Suominen, J. (Jaakko), Ojala, T. (Timo)
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Oulun yliopisto 2015
• Subjects: applied anthropology; northern location; smart technology; sociocultural factors; ubiquitous computing; urban anthropology; urban space; kaupunkiantropologia; kaupunkitila; pohjoinen sijainti; sosiokulttuuriset tekijät; soveltava antropologia; sulautettu tietotekniikka; älytekniikka; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789526207483

Abstract This thesis explores the sociocultural processes shaping the design, adoption and use of new urban technology in the city of Oulu in northern Finland. The exploration is conducted at experiential level focusing on people’s personal perspectives which allows uncovering underlying cultural meanings, social structures and historically formed practices and discourses. The unique case for the thesis is provided by the recent technological development in Oulu that has been shaped by agendas such as ubiquitous computing and smart cities. The thesis first investigates in-depth the design process of the new urban technology, and also compares the visions of the designers and decision-makers with the practices and perspectives of the city inhabitants. Then, the adoption process of public urban technologies is studied in detail by constructing a conceptual appropriation model. Finally, the effects of the northern location of Oulu on the design and use of the urban technology are scrutinized. The research is based on empirical, qualitative research materials comparing the experiences of young adult and elderly city inhabitants; in addition, quantitative use data of urban technologies is utilized to provide an overview on the use trends. The key findings indicate that the design and decisions concerning novel technologies and the outcome are shaped by complex sociomaterial practices based on experiences from previous similar projects, and on certain preconceptions about the city inhabitants and technology’s role in the cityscape. Different people have differing power positions in relation to the development of the urban public places, and technology implementation can marginalize some segments of city inhabitants. Further, the adoption of novel urban technologies is found to depend heavily on the norms of public places and people’s long-term experiences of technology use. Finally, climate, ICT use and sociocultural context are shown to be profoundly interconnected, and thus, urban computing design must reconsider ...