To Repair or not to Repair? Disclosing the Subject in Technical Mediation

This paper aims to develop a more comprehensive account of subjectivity in human-technology relations. Our argument unfolds in two stages. First, we contend that classical mediation theory falls short in addressing subjectivity, as it remains confined to functionalist and instrumentalist perspectives. Rather than rejecting postphenomenology, we seek to renew and deepen it by reconnecting it to its phenomenological roots as envisioned by Don Ihde. Second, we extend mediation theory through what we call the “technology lifecycle.” This framework retains attention to functionality and design while explicitly incorporating two additional and equally important dimensions: breakdown and maintenance. To adequately grasp these moments, we draw on a Ricoeurian interpretation of the dynamic between the designer-user subject and the “subject without technology,” who is primarily concerned with maintenance and care. By revisiting and expanding postphenomenology in this way, we aim to offer a richer and more nuanced understanding of the subject of technology—the central concern of this paper.