The (Nonintuitive) Agency of an Automatic Vacuum Cleaner Cover Image

(Nieintuicyjna) sprawczość automatycznego odkurzacza
The (Nonintuitive) Agency of an Automatic Vacuum Cleaner

Author(s): Sylwia Mieczkowska
Subject(s): Evaluation research
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: automatic vacuum cleaner; performativity of things; agency of objects; anthropology of things;

Summary/Abstract: The paper is a report on the study of an object of everyday use: the smart vacuum cleaner. The research was a qualitative study carried out using the method of in-depth interviews conducted with owners of automatic vacuum cleaners, coupled with the method of disguised observation carried out on one of the respondents and children playing with the device. The aim of this project was to understand what an automatic vacuum cleaner is to its user, what role it plays in their life, what functions it performs, and to reveal how it works on different levels. This resulted in indication of the performative potential of the studied object, as well as the agency hidden within it, going beyond its intended practical function.

  • Issue Year: 65/2021
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 133-145
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish