Digital Making as an Opportunity for Social Inclusion

Abstract

Within the framework of the EU-funded project ‘Digital Do-It-Yourself (DiDIY), we have explored the dynamics facilitating the acquisition of different competencies in this practice.

Rooted in design and construction, the digital making activities often emphasize the acquisition of problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, cross-disciplinarily and collaboration.

Starting from the results of the Digital DIY project has come to light that the developed process can also facilitate inclusivity. The contemporary phenomenon of “digital making” linked to “make” enabled by digital technologies (e.g., Web 2.0, 3D printers) is a meaningful context for social inclusion through interpersonal productive activities.

In this paper, we will first define such competencies as a result of a comparative study of the literature analysis. The analysis of the current scenario of digital DIY as a social innovation phenomenon enabled us to define a model through which it was possible to identify the fundamental dynamics and factors for skilling. The same model can allow the replication and adaptation of such dynamics into a different environment, such as the social inclusion.

We will conclude with the proposal of transferring the skilling dynamics identified in digital DIY to promote social inclusion of elderly.

The DiDIY co-design model, developed during the EU projects, includes the development of tools that facilitate the involvement of people in the design process merging digital making and skills improvement. The social empowerment and the individual creativity and self-improvement skills are crucial elements to avoid social exclusion.