Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that the scope of a discussion of personalisation must include bottom-up innovation by communities of practice that engages with technologies in new ways. It brings various disciplines on personalisation under one umbrella in an attempt to synthesise the existing scholarship, as well as structure and define this nascent field. The book draws on critical theory and the work of Adorno, Habermas and Benjamin to address challenges our society is facing from the passive and active aspects of personalisation introduced by wearable technologies and smart garments. It emphasises the ever-growing interest in and enthusiasm for the personalisation of consumer products, but also highlights current technical and skill limitations to generating personalised 3D manufacturing data. The book looks into the recent rise of the 'personalised storytelling' adopted by the government and other policy makers that are now included in White Papers.