Episode 3 (2020): Annika Richterich - Forget about the learning: On (digital) creativity and expertise in hacker-/makerspaces

Annika Richterich is an assistant professor in Digital Culture at
Maastricht University (NL). Her research focuses on practices of
collaboration, learning and innovation in hacking communities.


Annika explains that hackers and makers are curious people. They
tinker, try, and team up − driven by tech-political motives,
entrepreneurial interests, or just for the fun of it. Their
curiosity about digital technology and crafts makes them
self-driven learners in these domains. To share their enthusiasm
as well as required machines, hackers and makers worldwide have
formed communities called hack-/hackerspaces and makerspaces.
These are physical places where members engage in creative DIY
activities involving software and electronics. Learning is key to
the social tech and craft practices cultivated in
hacker-/makerspaces (HMS). Yet, the educational value of these
DIY communities has been rarely acknowledged. Drawing on a
mixed-methods study, her paper explores how (digital) creativity
and expertise are interrelated in HMS.