DIY culture

Do-it-yourself (DIY) culture emerges at a particular social and historical conjuncture in which the saturation of mass media in everyday culture in the West figures prominently. This chapter discusses DIY's synergies and tensions with Remix discourse through tracking discussions of DIY in debates on mainstream and subcultural production, convergence culture, and individualization. Amateur production may be understood as a way for the masses to speak back in a form of democratic cultural participation, and, while not true of all remix practices, many may fall under this DIY amateur umbrella. From another perspective, digital DIY culture has been of interest in terms of understanding, not necessarily how people may change culture, but how they understand and negotiate it through remix. For scholars who have traditionally held a strong interest in the active audience, DIY culture may show how people engage in and interpret social questions and issues.