Rachel Plotnick

Don't take that there. We still kind of tiptoe around these issues. We haven't kind of overcome those thresholds to some degree, the taboo of it.

Don't take that there. We still kind of tiptoe around these issues. We haven't kind of overcome those thresholds to some degree, the taboo of it.

I'm hoping it'll be interesting for academics and lay people. I think it speaks to a story that all of us kind of navigate on a daily basis. We often don't realize just how much we're thinking about, should I put this in a case or not? Do I take this to the beach with me or do I leave it behind? Oh, crap, I poured this entire mug of coffee on my computer. What do I do now?

I'm hoping it'll be interesting for academics and lay people. I think it speaks to a story that all of us kind of navigate on a daily basis. We often don't realize just how much we're thinking about, should I put this in a case or not? Do I take this to the beach with me or do I leave it behind? Oh, crap, I poured this entire mug of coffee on my computer. What do I do now?

So I'm hoping that the stories will kind of resonate with people who live through that, but also from an academic perspective, trying to help people understand what media hygiene is and how it's kind of been this pervasive problem for the maintenance and care of technology.

So I'm hoping that the stories will kind of resonate with people who live through that, but also from an academic perspective, trying to help people understand what media hygiene is and how it's kind of been this pervasive problem for the maintenance and care of technology.

No, that was definitely a part of my study. I think right to repair is really important to think about. And obviously, over time, our devices have gotten harder and harder to repair. So if you do have an accident, the consequences for that are much greater than they used to be. And a lot of what I focus on is how there's this disparity between advertising, like, oh, it's so sexy and pretty.

No, that was definitely a part of my study. I think right to repair is really important to think about. And obviously, over time, our devices have gotten harder and harder to repair. So if you do have an accident, the consequences for that are much greater than they used to be. And a lot of what I focus on is how there's this disparity between advertising, like, oh, it's so sexy and pretty.

You can take your watch underwater. You can go diving with it. And don't worry. A spill is just an oops. It's no big deal. But then watching how people have navigated horrible warranty plans and liquid contact indicators, oh, it got tripped. Therefore, now your whole warranty is invalidated. And we can't repair this thing. You have to get a new one.

You can take your watch underwater. You can go diving with it. And don't worry. A spill is just an oops. It's no big deal. But then watching how people have navigated horrible warranty plans and liquid contact indicators, oh, it got tripped. Therefore, now your whole warranty is invalidated. And we can't repair this thing. You have to get a new one.

So I think there are a lot of kind of real world consequences for this, where we as consumers get penalized for our quote unquote bad hygiene. We're treated like bad users. And these companies continue to kind of profit off of all of our mistakes, if you will.

So I think there are a lot of kind of real world consequences for this, where we as consumers get penalized for our quote unquote bad hygiene. We're treated like bad users. And these companies continue to kind of profit off of all of our mistakes, if you will.

Yeah, it took a few years. I started probably about 2019 working on this. I didn't know exactly what it was going to turn into at that time. Initially, I kind of started with the tactile stuff. I was looking at smudges on our smartphones and just kind of thinking about screens and tactility and handling, since that kind of goes along with buttons, just touching stuff, right? Mm-hmm.

Yeah, it took a few years. I started probably about 2019 working on this. I didn't know exactly what it was going to turn into at that time. Initially, I kind of started with the tactile stuff. I was looking at smudges on our smartphones and just kind of thinking about screens and tactility and handling, since that kind of goes along with buttons, just touching stuff, right? Mm-hmm.

It kind of morphed over time into thinking about liquids. And so it's been about four years that I was working on the project. And I went into some archives, looked at Rolex's archives and kind of the history of waterproofing wristwatches in the military and kind of went down a lot of paths as I was developing this.

It kind of morphed over time into thinking about liquids. And so it's been about four years that I was working on the project. And I went into some archives, looked at Rolex's archives and kind of the history of waterproofing wristwatches in the military and kind of went down a lot of paths as I was developing this.

But the hope was always that it was going to turn into this kind of bigger book project.

But the hope was always that it was going to turn into this kind of bigger book project.

One-handed? One-handed?

One-handed? One-handed?