Appropriated technologies offer a rich resource for combining a critical analysis of social issues with an eye towards the positive potential of science. Their complex dynamics warrent study for their own sake. The weakest case, reinterpretation, is defined by a change in semantic association with little or no change in use or structure. The next stronger case, adaptation, is defined by a change in both semantic association and use. For example, the Bedouin society of Egypt, a relatively disempowered ethnic minority, found that cassette tape players, which were marketed for listening to music from the Egyptian majority, had an unused recording capability as well.
Adaptation requires two technosocial features.
For example, a calculator is less flexible than a wordprocessor, which is less flexible than a personal computer. Second, it requires a violation of intended purpose. The creativity required to look beyond the assumed functions and see new possibilities is a powerful force for social change, yet one that receives little attention. The strongest case for Appropriating Technology is reinvention, in which semantics, use and structure are all changed. Although automobile shock absorbers were originally produced for decreasing disturbance, Latino mechanics developed methods for attaching them to electrically controlled air pumps, turning shock-absorbers into shock producers.