Slide to unlock: um estudo das táticas de resistência cotidiana dos usuários do ecossistema iOS/Apple

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand how the users articulate tactics of everyday resistance to iOS/Apple ecosystem. Specifically, we sought to (1) identify the extent to which the users of those systems are aware of its restrictions; (2) understand how tactics of everyday resistance are manifested among different groups of iOS ecosystem users; (3) discuss possible moderating factors of the perceived limitations and resistance tactics; and (4) understand how the iOS interacts with corporate strategies as a way to control the consumer experience. Along the history of personal computing and the Internet, the idea of "openness" has been a core value in the user experience. The connected PC was opened to softwares created by third parties and constituted a generative device in essence (Zittrain, 2006). Its flexible architecture allowed the user to change the purposes of use beyond the scripts defined by companies. Thus, we propose a discussion on the growing importance of less generative environments such as the Apple's iOS ecosystem. Together, technology and strategy promote the discourse of providing more personalized, optimized, stable, and secured experiences, since generativity is no longer a space for creativity to become synonymous with vulnerability. The study is based on the Grounded Theory (Strauss and Corbin, 1990) through in-depth interviews with four user groups: Fanboys, Standard User, Jailbreakers and Deserters. The present results provide evidence for a moderator role of the involvement with Apple and the ecosystem presence in the manifestation and intensity of resistance.