Digitaalisen maailman rikkinäisyys: Medialaitteiden korjaaminen, kunnossapito ja hoiva planetaarisena toimintana

Abstract

People today live their digital lives in a broken world. Brokenness is an inherent feature of malfunctioning devices, unworking software, and unstable internet connections. At a systemic level, brokenness manifests in the rising energy consumption and emissions of media infrastructures, the planned obsolescence of devices and their limited repairability, and the growing accumulation of electronic waste.In this article, we explore the notion of brokenness, drawing inspiration from the ideas of Steven Jackson, an American researcher who bridges information science with science and technology studies. Following Jackson, we approach brokenness through three closely related concepts: repair, maintenance, and care. We illustrate these perspectives through examples from the repair videos from the YouTube channel Odd Tinkering. By examining repair, maintenance, and care, we highlight the materiality of media devices and their infrastructural entanglements.Our article contributes to ongoing discussions in media research that have intensified in recent years—discussions that begin with the limits of the Earth’s planetary boundaries and seek alternatives to the techno-capitalist logics of contemporary digital everyday life. We propose that integrating “broken world thinking” with media-ecological approaches opens up new possibilities for developing concepts and research designs that promote sustainability and environmental justice.