ABSTRACT
From the very outset, the domestication approach was inspired by an ambition to inform policy debates. This was obvious in early delineations of the approach in the 1980s. However, later research inspired by the notion of domestication has often come to overlook this ambition. This chapter presents three examples of analyses that engage with the notion of domestication in everyday contexts, while also explicitly addressing policy. The first case is based on data collected two decades ago when home computers with Internet connections had started to become commonplace in Swedish households. The second case focuses on how Swedish teachers deal with children’s mobile phones in leisure-time centres. The third case draws on interviews with older adults covering their reflections on and use of ICTs. This chapter argues for and illustrates the policy relevance of domestication research, and points towards the future. As media technology develops, it becomes of continuous importance to offer insights from domestication research. Studies can contrast, challenge, and hopefully feed into the formation of insights into what is going on in and around media technology. To do so, policy relevance needs to be explicitly formulated and communicated to relevant stakeholders as an integral part of research practice.
