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of the technology itself. New Technologies are only successful if they are in sync with
the culture they are introduced into. Technologies of leisure or those that enhance
sociability are especially sensitive to cultural expectations, because individuals think of
them as extensions of the self in many respects. Thus, leisure technologies, like the
metaphor of the cyborg, rely on a tenuous balance between what is new and what is
previously understood. The constant shifts in popular culture attest to this, and the
technologies developed are constantly being modified through feedback.
DVR technology is currently engaged in this feedback loop. Community and
production have become intertwined amongst DVR enthusiasts who by creating an online
forum are able to share hacking secrets to modify their technology. It is communal, in
the sense that DVR users want other users to succeed in modifying their black box of
technology.
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The relationship between the standardized DVR technology and the local
experiences of the home DVR enthusiasts come together to both define a set of processes
that drive the development of the technology and create a sense of agency on the part of
the participants.
Although there is a tight knit community of DVR enthusiasts, there are still only a
small number of early adopters of the technology. Compared to the total number of VCR
users, DVR users are a relatively small number at just over one million. However, the
relationship of DVR users to each other and towards the industry that mass-produces the
technology is significant. How is it that DVR users are recognized outside their small
community? How and why do they exert power to control the trajectory of the
technology? A good way to answer these questions is through Actor-Network theory.
Convention