Astride Toh
Journalism and Media Studies | Lehman College CUNY
*Bronx, NY, USA*
[email protected]
In this paper the increase use of maker spaces will be identify. A proposed idea to assist the stability of the trend will also be discussed along with the idea's plausibility.
Makerspaces, Digital Platforms, Self-Production, Online Community Center, MakerLab, Organization,
Taken at Rehack 2020. A team anticipating a product release.
Makerspaces will be the next big thing in technology. Several existing trends cause maker spaces to be in demand. Due to the length of this paper, only these two trends will be examined: the technology found in maker spaces is in demand, and there is a rise in entrepreneurship.
Within makerspaces are 3D printers, lasers, electronic cutting machines, and a plethora of technological tools. These tools used to be only accessible to industry professionals before the 21st century. Due to this, the public did not know how technological tools like a 3D printer could be useful for them. Consequently, those technologies were not in high demand. The prices for these technologies have decreased since then. This price change is due in part to the discovery of affordable materials that do not sacrifice efficiency [4] . That analysis was provided by Deloitte University's John Hagel, John Seely Brown and Duleesha Kulasooriya. They wrote this in "A Movement in the Making Report." The affordable price was a gateway to the public for understanding how technological tools could be useful for them. Self-production has consequently increased. 3D printing, for example, is being used by civilians to construct techno fabrics, toys, face shields, gifts, arts, and parts for machines. Knowing the potential of these machines has encouraged many people to visit makerspaces in hope of making their products.
The 21st century is also seeing a surge in entrepreneurship. This is partly due to cheaper technologies but also the rise of the internet. Through digital platforms, people watch, read and see reviews of tutorials. The shift in entrepreneurship has also impacted our education system. This is amplified in the Reggio Emilia approach, where students are encouraged to express their intelligence through construction. Some draw pictures, others make robots. Students are also encouraged to use observations and take apart machines to figure out their functions [7]. This kind of approach develops tinkers in society.
As seen with the rise of entrepreneurship, digital platforms have become a sort of hub. Technology and strategic business advisor Bernard Marr, who writes for Forbes business magazine clarifies digital platforms to be "networks that facilitate connections and exchanges (goods, services, or simply just communications) between people[1]." Marr's definition of networks is conceptualized in Vocabulary.com’s explanation of "the interconnected system of computers[2]." Through websites, applications, and digital games people can complete a plethora of activities. The linguistics site Vocabulary.com also explains the definition of a hub to be “the center of some kind of activity[3].” A lot of what people do have been transferred there. Whether that be attending an event on zoom, communicating with someone, sharing content with a follower base, booking an appointment, or searching for an event via a search engine.
The information received and the service used on digital platforms do influence the lives of people. Any device that enables access to a digital platform is a digital device and enables us to connect on the go. Having consistent access to websites, applications and even games impact our knowledge, relationships with people, spirituality, employment, behavior, and schedule. Consider this occurrence to be “having access to the virtual world while interacting in the real world." The author of 'The Cyborgs are Coming”, Thad Starner claimed this occurrence to be the potential of wearable technology back in the 1990s. Starner was not false as in 2021 it is observable that we carry phones, tablets, and other digital devices. to be able to communicate with others, set up appointments, learn and seek information. However, technology does not need to be worn to still fulfill this potential. The key is to have consistent access.
!["Use existing models to make a new one" - image presented by the organization tensorflow at HackDavis | Figure [8]](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/07b7e863-7e9b-4bbc-adc5-55c97abb2cde/Screen_Shot_2021-01-16_at_12.46.55_PM_copie.png)
"Use existing models to make a new one" - image presented by the organization tensorflow at HackDavis | Figure [8]
In the following years, digital platforms will continue to combine the virtual with the physical world. In the future, there could likely be the merge of different services, interactions, and communications methods of distinct digital platforms into comprehensive products. Websites, apps, and digital games are examples of digital platforms that could merge to become structure hubs of resources and assistance. These hubs will become similar to an online community center or library. This development will be very beneficial to makers who lack understanding and need advisement concerning certain aspects of the movement. There are current virtual platforms to assist makers but they each have a different focus. Consequently, my next big idea for the future of technology and digital culture branches into the field of the maker movement.
A group, that consisted of me and Daryanna, brainstormed to develop a digital hub for makers called MakerLab. There, a novice can start their journey as a maker and an intermediate can use resources to propel their innovations and sharpen their skills. We took inspiration from three applications that amplify different parts of the maker movement. Pinterest is the app that inspired us to include sections where people can show off their products. Therefore, each user has a portfolio page where one can upload all their work. From Tiktok, we got the idea of incorporating branches into the platform. Branches is a section full of projects other artists made when they saw a portfolio. Lastly from Github, we got the idea to have a collaboration feature. Users can accept or reject collaboration requests. Upon acceptance and development of the project, all the collaborators and the way they pitched in will be listed on each team members' portfolio page.
The success of MakerLab is plausible because of three reasons. There is an audience in need, we address the issues that current apps have, and there has been a successful predecessor to our idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db3iVdZN41U
The Audience
Due to the rise of makers, there is a need for our products. Makers range in age, gender, region, and economic status. People need guidance, and not everyone knows a person that can be of assistance or even where to find a maker space near them. Our products overcome these problems by connecting makers in a safe place with resources to increase accessibility and inspire creditable brainstorming.
User Experience
MakerLab also provides an engaging user experience. We do this by addressing the worries users have with current apps. MakerLab addresses the lack of specialized search results that Pinterest has. Pinterest's search results tend to be off-topic. To address this problem users are presented with specialized tracks. This option is given on the explorer page and will cause the user to see portfolios that relate to the chosen track. MakerLab also addresses Tiktok's credibility issue. Original content creators are not given credit for their work. Credit is given to the person who made the content popular rather than the one who made it. On MakerLab, content creators receive credit whenever their work inspires a new project of another user. At the bottom of the original creator's page is a section called branches. There, all projects that were based on their work will be listed. Collaborators also receive credit when they add to a person's project. Within the person's portfolio page will be a collaboration section that lists the names of those who helped them. Also, there is a video, code, or note that depicts how that person contributed to a project. While making the site we also took into consideration the user's experience. Github, which inspired MakerLab, takes a while for users to navigate. Therefore, MakerLab has a simple layout with less content, a self-explanatory section, and button names.
The prototype of MakerLab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTahLEX3NXo
Predecessor: What is the Notion?
There have been successful predecessors to this idea of a comprehensive structure platform. One of them is Notion. This platform is an online workplace. Think the apps of Google workspaces with the productivity management of Trello [5] .
Why was Notion developed? On their website, the following reason is given:Notion was made to assist workers in managing all their workspace tools within one online platform. Notion has been successful ever since its launch in 2018. In three years the utility of their service is being evaluated alongside other organizational platforms that have launched over nine years ago [6]. The platform has been covered by six media sources on their economic success and the productivity they bring in the lives of users.
Similar to Notion, MakerLab focuses on organization and utility. MakerLab strives to help makers organize themselves by having several needed resources in one place. The audience has access to a community of people to collaborate with and receive constructive critique. There is a map feature to locate maker spaces that suit one's needs. Makers are given credits for their work, and so are their inspirations. MakerLab is sure to be just as groundbreaking as Notion is.