Constructing Perceptions: A Sociological Perspective on Sensors (Talk)

The sensory perception of the world, including seeing and hearing, tasting and smelling,touching and feeling, are necessary social skills to become a social counterpart. In this context,the construction of a perceptible technology is an intersection where technical artifacts have the capability to interact and sense their environment. Sensors as technical artifacts not only measure various (physical) states, with their presented results influencing perceptions and actions, but they also undergo technical and computational processing. Sensors generate differences by capturing and measuring variations in their surroundings. In this talk, I will share insights from my qualitative social research in the lab, using a sociological engagement with technology, materiality, and science research as a starting point to sharpen a sociological perspective on constructing technical perceptions. The focus will lie on how knowledge on perceptions is implemented in technology and materiality when constructing sensors.