Outline for The Maker Movement Paradigm Shift

Introduction:

Hook: DIY. Do-It-Yourself. We see this acronym almost everywhere now, but we don’t really pay attention to where it originally came from. DIY is actually a crucial part of a movement in recent years known as the Maker Movement. Like the rise of DIY, the movement itself also went right under our noses. The movement essentially consisted of a major shift in consumer ideology. Instead of purchasing solutions from large corporate companies, there was a creation of new technology, products, and services and modification/evolution of current ones all driven by the hands and minds of normal individuals and consumers.

Brief evidence the shift happened: The clearest examples of this idea are 3D Printing, personal modification of electronics, and robotics. Instead of large companies and manufacturers being the sole providers of products and services to society, entrepreneurs engage with the maker movement to provides products and services of their own. This leads to a vast evolution in the market we have currently. New types of services and products never seen before. More inventions are being produced than ever before in our society with this increase in individualism.

Thesis:  From the post World War 2 era to now, there was a massive shift in consumer ideology that led to the rise of the Maker Movement which slowly extended the concept of DIY-culture into brand-new areas. This shift is incredibly important because it’s the main basis behind the frequent and unique innovation and invention we see today in society.

Body

A. “Literature review” or a review of the shift 

1. Definitions:
   1. Maker culture: Taking DIY to the next level by immersing it into the way we think. Examples include: Learning by actively doing, always looking to improve technology and services by your own means, innovating with current tech or inventing new tech instead of purchasing pre-made solutions.
2. Before the Shift:
   1. Major Focus on Consumerism during the mid 20th century. Mainly evident in Post World War 2 and the Cold War Era
      1. WW2 Ideology: In the reconstruction era after WW2, there was a large economic boom that led to massive production. This rise in a production led to an ideology of consumerism in order to support the massive economic boom
      2. Cold War Ideology: Communism vs Capitalism. The United States wanted to highlight the benefits of capitalism to the world which involved pushing forward the benefits of a free-market economy and subsequently the happiness associated with consumerism
      3. Ad Examples:

1. After the Shift:
   1. DIY Culture at the end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st century:
      1. In Education: Focusing on encouraging creativity and innovation at a young age. Allowing more opportunities for children to “make”
         1. Example: Click –>Maker Spaces
      2. In Engineering: Modifying and tinkering with products or creating your own, such as making your own computers, 3D printing, cars
         1. Example: Make Magazine, a magazine dedicated to maker culture
      3. Access in Daily Life: casual citizens have access to making anything they want from art to cooking to clothes and more
         1. Maker Spaces around Penn State
            1. Examples: The Makery, Penn State Maker Factory, The Make Space, etc.
         2. Youtube in general, or Etsy
            1. Example: baking, make-up, or woodworking tutorials, selling homemade things online through websites for profit

B. Analysis of Causes

1. What reason do scholars give for the shift? (Read bold and underline parts)
2. I’ll basically be using the evidence and statements below from scholars to build my argument here that social, technological, and economic factors built the movement.
   1. Dale Dougherty on the start of the Maker Movement (social factors)
      1. “The maker movement has come about in part because of people’s need to engage passionately with objects in ways that make them more than just consumers. But other influences are in play as well, many of which closely align the maker movement with new technologies and digital tools.”
      2. “Today’s makers enjoy a level of interconnectedness that has helped to build a movement out of what in the past would have been simply a series of micro-communities defined by a particular hobby or activity. Although the movement is largely driven by the Internet, events like Maker Faire allow people to mix with many different groups.”
   2. NCBI Article(economic, tech, and social factors)
      1. “This movement is taking place because a wide group of people is increasingly acquainted with a growing and diversified cheaper set of tools and machines intended for personal manufacturing (Mota 2011), such as digital fabrication devices (CNC machines, 3D printers, laser cutters, etc.), open-source and low-cost hardware (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.), and all the multiple digital and analog add-ons they are able to link to these devices, from the newest ambient sensors to the oldest plywood shapers. But this is also happening because the same social actors are choosing to engage with technology while sharing most of their work through documentation and data repositories, supporting others through tutorials or financial and logistical backing, and most important, collaborating on widely diversified platforms also with varied levels of engagement and openness, by organizing online and physically permanent and non-permanent meetups and workshops, and subsequently establishing peer-production communities (Troxler 2010)”
   3. Journal of Business Venturing(social, technological, and economic factors)
      1. Humans have made artifacts throughout history, but the growing “maker movement” represents a fundamental break from the craftwork of the past. Three features set it apart: (1) a high level of social exchange and collaboration among diverse actors, (2) enhanced knowledge creation and sharing in physical or virtual spaces, and (3) the production of material artifacts using technological resources previously restricted to corporate research and development (R&D) facilities.
3. Analyzing these causes and reasons
4. The Maker movement mainly rose because of people taking advantage of the internet to collaborate along with the decreasing cost of innovation. This is clearly evident in the decreasing cost of machines such as 3D Printers and the increasing ways to connect on the internet through forums or social media. Additionally, the Maker Movement is able to stick its ground because of the increased funding that was previously only given to corporate companies

C. Critique of the shift: What are scholars saying about the consequences/implications of the shift?

1. Implications and Consequences of the Shift according to scholars (Read bold and underline parts) 
2.  I’ll be using the evidence and statements from scholars below to build my argument here that educational, social, and economic benefits rise
   1. J-PEER Article (Educational benefits)
      1. While the Maker Movement has developed in out-of-school spaces and has mostly involved adult participants, there is growing interest among educators in bringing making into K-12 education to enhance opportunities for students to engage in design and engineering practices, specifically, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM, or STEAM when art is included) practices, more generally. This growing interest can be seen in increasing coverage in the popular press (e.g., Finn, 2012; Giridharadas, 2011) and in investment in maker spaces by a number of science and technology museums (e.g., Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, Ingenuity Lab at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Maker Space at New York Hall of Science, and MAKEShop at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh). The US government has also expressed interest in making, through funding agencies (e.g., NSF and DARPA calls that mention making and maker spaces) and at the White House, which recently hosted a Maker Faire (Kalil & Miller, 2014).
   2. Atlantic Article(Economic benefits with business)
      1. Manufacturing is on a major decline in the world, but the maker movement can change that. Especially in the United States.
      2. Through new access to cheap tools and increased collaborative spaces and infrastructure, it becomes easier for small entrepreneurial companies to succeed and thrive in manufacturing within the United States
   3. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences Journal Article(Economic benefits with business)
      1. Without public attention, the maker movement, which refers to the democratization of access to and information on using tools, has risen from a fringe hobby to a prominent lifestyle with important implications for public concern. Modernly, tools have been available only to those working within firms and industry or those willing to pay large costs for their procurement. The maker movement presents multiple avenues to increase access to these tools, with the potential for impacts on the quantity and nature of entrepreneurship. My paper explores makerspaces and how they theoretically contribute to business generation and sustainment. As defined in the paper, the maker movement will influence entrepreneurship through three principle channels. The maker movement attracts more individuals into product design, and thus may launch more “accidental entrepreneurs” if they find that their user solutions have a market. Secondly, the maker movement generates dense but diverse networks, creating new ideas and innovative thinking. Lastly, the maker movement lowers the costs for prototyping, making early sales and acquiring outside funding more realistic.
   4. Craft and Design Inquiry Article(Economic/social benefits with cities)
      1. Significantly, these enabling technologies provide new means for shifting practices of making from the domains of industrial parks and locations around the globe to the homes, studios and fablabs of designers and end users. This has the capacity to in part reinvigorate cities suffering economic and industrial slowdowns and, further, that by dispersing sites of creative production throughout the community, greater amenity and resilience can be achieved.
      2. Basically points out that the maker movement can create maker culture in cities which will boost their economy and industry.
3. Is there a consensus among scholars?
   1. There is a wide variety of implications that scholars look into with the Maker Movement, but the general consensus is that the Maker Movement mainly brings positivity. They line it up in similarity to the Industrial Revolution and believe in can generate an immense amount of positive change economically and socially
4. Why does the shift matter? Why are the changes it brings important?
   1. This movement is presented as a key way to take advantage of the recent and upcoming rise in technology. It offers immense societal and economic benefits, so the changes it brings must be carefully looked into.

Conclusion

What is the shift?: The Maker Movement was essentially a shift in the ideology of consumerism to an ideology focused on innovation and creation in the hands of every individual

Why did it happen?: The increased access to cheaper tools of manufacturing and the increased quantity and quality of channels of communication allow for individuals to create and establish themselves much more easily

Why is it important?: This movement is presented as a key way to take advantage of the recent and upcoming rise in technology. It offers immense societal and economic benefits, so the changes it brings must be carefully looked into.

What is the future of the shift?: The capability to innovate and invent only increases further as technology and social media advance into the future. Additionally, the maker movement might also help “unearth” and magnify some passions and goals of individuals that usually aren’t that large. Examples of this could be an increased focus on sustainability with the innovation of products and services in the future. The capabilities for this movement to evolve in rather unpredictable, but so far it has only been expected to bring good to society.