Communication about sensors and communication
through sensors: localizing the Internet of Things in rural
communities

Communication about sensors and communication
through sensors: localizing the Internet of Things in rural
communities

Internet of Things, technology adoption, urban/rural, community, qualitative methods, smart homes/cities

Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks are an emerging technology at the center of the datafication and optimization of far-reaching environmental
infrastructures—from “smart cities” to workplace efficiencies. However, this low-power, low-cost technology is also well suited to local deployments
in rural communities, which are often overlooked by digital development initiatives. Therefore, we used a social construction of technology approach to

study how various U.S.-based IoT stakeholders—including designers and advocates as well as citizen stakeholders—understand and value sensor net-
work technologies. Through observational methods, in-depth interviews, and participatory design research in a rural Upstate New York municipality,

we worked to design sensor networks with rural community members to generate data about and for community members to further local
knowledge. We found that designing rural sensor networks requires stakeholders to navigate obstacles of communication about sensors and
communication through sensors to facilitate secure, ethical, and localized sensing in rural communities.

Chelsea Butkowski 1,*, Ngai Keung Chan2

, Talia Berniker3

, Alfredo Rodriguez4
,

Kenneth Schlather5

, K. Max Zhang4

, Lee Humphreys

https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad005

10 February 2023

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