Maker subculture

The maker subculture is a contemporary subculture, representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker subculture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts.

The rise of the maker subculture is closely associated with the rise of hackerspaces, of which there are now over 100 in the United States ^[1]. Some notable hackerspaces which have been linked with the maker subculture include NYC Resistor, A2 Mech Shop, and the for-profit TechShop. In addition, those who identify with the subculture can be found at more traditional universities with a technical orientation, such as MIT (specifically around "shop" areas like the MIT Hobby Shop).

Some media outlets associated with the subculture include MAKE (a magazine published since 2005 by O'Reilly Media) and the popular weblog Boing Boing. (Boing Boing editor Cory Doctorow has written a novel, Makers, which he describes as being "a book about people who hack hardware, business-models, and living arrangements to discover ways of staying alive and happy even when the economy is falling down the toilet^[2]."

Since 2006, the subculture has held a yearly event, Maker Faire, which has drawn crowds of up to 65,000 attendees.

References

1. ^ "Tinkering Makes Comeback Amidst Crisis," http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125798004542744219.html
2. ^ "Makers, my new novel: free downloads, donate to libraries and colleges, signings and tours," http://boingboing.net/2009/10/28/makers-my-new-novel.html