On Disused Connected Devices: Understanding Disuse, “Holding On,” and Barriers to Circularity

Abstract

In this article, we explore the complex phenomena behind why people “hold on” to disused connected devices, focusing especially on differences between “traditional” smartphones and computers, and newer categories of smart home devices, wearables, and single-function Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We investigate why and in what contexts different categories of connected devices become disused by their owners; what owners value about their disused devices; and what they perceive to be the barriers to adopting circular practices, for example, by fixing, recycling, or reusing them. Our contribution is to provide a descriptive account of how functional, sentimental, and other values associated with devices shape owners’ perceptions and attitudes toward their “end of life,” for an expanded range of connected products. By highlighting how perceptions of concepts including convenience, ownership, and wastefulness mediate how owners approach the “end of life” of a device, we map the barriers for device owners to engage in more circular practices and highlight opportunities to address them through design. Our study replicates previous findings in the domain, as well as extending them, contributing to how the design of modern IoT devices leads to new barriers, opportunities, and considerations for more circular design.