Mitigating responsibility: Attributing membership categories in the face of tech-related troubles

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Abstract

Visually impaired persons (VIPs) often rely heavily on the use of assistive as well as mainstream technologies for accomplishing everyday tasks. The latter, especially when featuring artificial intelligence (AI), offer new possibilities for VIPs. This chapter explores how VIPs, via accounts, ascriptions, and engaging in category-bound activities, accept and reject membership of inference-rich categories, make relevant their level of vision and construct locally relevant identities as competent tech-users in the face of tech-related troubles when setting up or using mainstream AI technologies. In this way, the chapter contributes both to EM/CA research in how VIPs approach mainstream technology and how excuses are produced, including how certain membership categories are used by participants as a resource for exoneration from responsibility, and to the growing body of EM/CA studies of Human Computer Interaction.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Practical Accomplishment of Everyday Activities Without Sight
EditorsBrian L. Due
Place of PublicationAbingdon
PublisherRoutledge
Publication date2023
Pages112-130
ISBN (Print)9780367742577
ISBN (Electronic)9781003156819
Publication statusPublished - 2023

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