An identity built around making things—of being “a maker”—pervades technology culture. There’s a widespread idea that “People who make things are simply different [read: better] than those who don’t.”
Debbie Chachra, “Why I Am Not a Maker,” The Atlantic, January 23, 2015.
This paragraph hits me so hard and sadly, I cannot say that I disagree with the idea. Two summers ago, I had a chance to work at a big tech company as a marketing intern. From the very first day, I noticed that there was something different between “tech” people (engineers) and “non-tech” people, or should I say makers and non-makers. For example, people usually ate at different cafeterias, pay rates were different (even for interns), and I even heard engineers making jokes about non-tech people. Since many tech companies depend heavily on makers, it seems that the works of non-makers are not valued as much as makers. It is certainly true that without makers, tech companies would not have any products to sell. However, I strongly believe that it is important for everyone to know that regardless of their specialties, all of their work is integral to their company’s operations.
Under the large umbrella of Digital (Arts &) Humanities, which areas of inquiry, methods or techniques are you most eager to pursue this term and why?
As a stats major and also an aspiring data analyst, I’m excited to learn more about data visualization tools !
