Sociotechnical Transition: An Exploratory Study on the Social Appropriability of Users of Smart Meters in Wallonia

Optimal and autonomous daily use of new technologies isn�t a reality for everyone. In a societal context driven by sociotechnical transitions [1] many people lack access to digital equipment and skills, preventing their participation in digital social life, including energy services. Our exploratory and phenomenological research, guided by European Union directives [2], explores the social appropriation [3] of new technologies during the deployment of smart meters in Wallonia. The study investigates social behaviour of audiences with support during smart meter installation and identifies barriers to technology appropriation. In an exclusively qualitative approach, the field surveys aim to determine to what extent individual participatory forms [4][5] and collective forms [8][9] of support, through active pedagogies like experiential learning [6][7], can include digitally vulnerable users. The central role of field professionals as interfaces [10] is also highlighted within the service relationship [11] that connects, on one hand, the end consumers and, on the other hand, the organization responsible for deploying the smart meters. While our study does not directly utilize CAPE methods and tools, it investigates the current social implications of digitalization.