ABSTRACT
Public policy and academic discourse has also treated making and hacking as deeply significant. The maker movement is framed as important, both to individuals and societies. Many hackers and makers explicitly frame their activities in terms of an idea of the “third place,” referencing Ray Oldenburg’s work on “Cafés, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts”. Such active leisure practices differ, however, from so-called casual leisure activities such as watching sports or taking a walk in the park. Active leisure is only meaningful as an identity-building project if other choices are available and possible. The maker movement is what it is. But the notion of inconsequentiality points to an interesting tension that might bear further reflection. The personal effects of involvement in active leisure do seem to be profound, while innovation and economic impacts are currently more hazy.
