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David Gauntlett
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Making is Connecting: The Social Power of Creativity, from Craft and Knitting to Digital Everything 2nd Edition, Kindle Edition

by David Gauntlett (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
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SECOND UPDATED EDITION, WITH THREE ALL-NEW CHAPTERS 

The first edition of Making is Connecting struck a chord with crafters, YouTubers, makers, music producers, artists and coders alike. David Gauntlett argues that through making things, people engage with the world and create connections with each other. Online and offline, we see that people want to make their mark, and to make connections.

This shift from a ‘sit-back-and-be-told culture’ to a ‘making-and-doing culture’ means that a vast array of people are exchanging their own ideas, videos, and other creative material online, as well as engaging in real-world crafts, music projects, and hands-on experiences. Drawing on evidence from psychology, politics, philosophy, and economics, Gauntlett shows that this everyday creative engagement is necessary and essential for the happiness and survival of modern societies.

This fully revised second edition includes many new sections as well as three brand new chapters on creative processes, do-it-yourself strategies, and platforms for creativity.

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Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-1509513482
  2. Edition
    2nd
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Polity
  5. Publication date
    May 21, 2018
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    622 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘This updated volume guides us through the twists and turns of a digitally connected society. Whether you're an artist, teacher, parent, scholar, or just interested in digital media today, this book is essential reading.’
Kylie Peppler, Indiana University

‘Sharp, witty, and passionate – Gauntlett has crafted the most vital manifesto for how we can foster powerful and creative communities.’
Simon Lindgren, Umeå University

About the Author

David Gauntlett is Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Communication and Design, Ryerson University, Toronto. He is the author of several books, and has worked with a number of the world�s leading creative organisations, including the BBC, Tate, and LEGO.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07D7K3GNL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Polity; 2nd edition (May 21, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 21, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 622 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

About the author

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David Gauntlett

David Gauntlett

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David Gauntlett is Professor of Creativity and Design, and Director of Research, at Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design, University of Westminster, UK.

His teaching and research is about self-initiated everyday creativity, and cultures of making and exchanging. He is the author of several books, including Creative Explorations (2007), Making is Connecting (2011), and Making Media Studies (2015).

He has made a number of popular online resources, videos and playthings, and has pioneered creative research and workshop methods. He has worked with a number of the world’s leading creative organisations, including the BBC, the British Library, and Tate. For over a decade he has worked with LEGO on innovation in creativity, play and learning.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
28 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

sanoe.net
5.0 out of 5 stars Appreciate this more than I would have a few years ago
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2018
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
A few years ago, I would not have enjoyed or appreciated "Making is Connecting: The social power of creativity, from craft and knitting to digital everything (2nd Edition)" by David Gauntlett as I do now. Given how often I go to various channels to learn something whether cooking or crafting over the last year or so, this book makes much more sense to me.

One thing that I liked right away is that the updates from the 1st edition to this 2nd edition are easy to find as the author puts it in the opening pages. I really liked that.

I have not read the 1st edition so this edition is a first for me. There is so much that I could appreciate. The author presents a wide range of the how, when, why and where of creativity via Internet. It isn't a 'how to' book but rather looking at the phenomenon as a social fixture and why it has a purpose. For myself, I found a lot to agree with because I feel like the book described much of what I'm experiencing.

I've never thought of myself as a 'crafty' person but tapping into the resources has given me an outlet to try and learn. I can connect online but it also gives me a way to connect offline. It isn't all rosy and Gauntlett touches on the less-than-rosy aspects which is also appreciated.

For me, this was a great read because it came at the right time for me and it made sense for me. It definitely made me feel like my weekend 'crafting' has a purpose socially and personally.
3 people found this helpful
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Social Sewist
5.0 out of 5 stars New stuff, same great pov
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
Many books on creativity--academic or otherwise--have a tightly focused (if not downright straight-jacketed) approach. But the first edition of this book had a divergent take: Gauntlett brought a much-needed holistic point of view to the field, combining psychological, anthropological, and sociological threads in his account of how Web 2.0 was changing how creators make, meet, and interact. When you recognize, as Gauntlett does, that we all make things in particular circumstances that involve our individual perceptions of the personal, social, and cultural contexts we inhabit, creativity becomes a vital and panoramic subject.

Naturally, I wondered how this second edition would compare. My verdict: It's brightly written, smartly argued, and absolutely a worthy successor. While the notion of Web 2.0 seems quaint now, in this edition Gauntlett bucks the predominant tendency to see the online world in 2018 as a negative place. The positive part--the part where people can post reviews they've written, for example, or where they can find guidance for an in-process project on YouTube--is where the online iterations of making and connecting thrive now.

This edition's three new chapters take a special focus on making and performing music, a field upended by the very technologies that allow amateurs as well as professionals to create and disseminate their work. The lesson Gauntlett draws from his analysis--namely, that "making things is about transforming materials into something new, but it is also about transforming one's own sense of self"--transcends media and platforms alike. It's a lesson makers know, and one we could all do well to experience.
One person found this helpful
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It's Just Me
3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat boring look at the philosophical aspects of making things, plus some cheerleading
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2018
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
I was hoping for more of a psychological look at why / how making things can make people feel connected. Instead, Gauntlet offers more of a philosophical ramble about making and connecting. It’s somewhat shallow content, and parts of it are repetitive, which made this rather a boring read for me. Most intelligent people are probably largely already aware of what is covered here.

The book is as much cheerleading about the benefits of making things as a way of connecting as it is informative. I rather suspect that anyone picking up this book is already sold on the social benefits of making things.

But that’s JustMe.
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WhereWaldoFindsHimself
2.0 out of 5 stars "We hold these truths to be self evident"
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2018
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
The words, “We hold these truths to be self evident” apply to much of this book. The text was filled with repetitive points. Making is Connecting, Second Expanded Edition, by David Gauntlett, was published in 2018 by Polity books, who also published the first edition in 2011.Yet the majority of the citations in the new edition are from surprisingly old dates, generated largely in the UK, and especially from London. I noticed only one from 2018. The information boils down to a simple declaration: that through making things and connecting with others, people “make their mark” in life, and this makes them feel happy. As it’s a collection of the author’s chosen references, it presumes a sociology to fit everyone on the planet; failing in its attempt to encompass too large a field. A more impressive new edition would contain updated references, say, from 2013, and more globally sourced. It serves as a caution to those writing a book for instructional purposes, to choose from the most modern reliable resources, reined in by parameters of serious science-based materials, and placing a tight limit on anecdotes.
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Quickbeam
1.0 out of 5 stars Academic jibber jabber, not even close to what I wanted.
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2018
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
I am a 50+ year knitter; social media revolutionized my knitting life. No more hoarding old magazines for patterns I would never find again. There was Ravelry, the gold standard of knitting and crochet sites. It completely altered my approach to my knitting passion. So, I thought I was a perfect reader for this book. Wow, was I wrong.

This is a pedantic, academic and dull book parsing the roots of craft on social media. I found it super uninteresting. No mention of Ravelry at all, which was one of the first major craft presences on line. There’s a ball of yarn on the cover for goodness sake. I was very disappointed. This is for social media historians only or others writing academic papers.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Social Sewist
5.0 out of 5 stars Write on
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
My dream was to write the Great British Novel on a typewriter in my garden shed. Too bad I have no garden, no shed, and no typewriter.

What I do have is a spare room and a laptop to help me tell my story and share it, a chapter at a time, with my online writers' group. Gauntlett tells stories, too: He relates relevant, inspiring anecdotes about groups like ours that dispense ideas, confidence, and conviviality. (Love that word, and loved learning about Ivan Illich, whose 'Tools for Conviviality' is now in my Amazon queue.)

As I plow ahead on my novel alongside my fellow (virtual) ink-stained wretches, I'd say this book has given me clarity as to how we are better together. Who needs a shed, anyway?
One person found this helpful
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