Insights from obsolescence: The interpretive potential of skeuomorphs

Conway, Steve (2024). Insights from obsolescence: The interpretive potential of skeuomorphs. Journal of Material Culture, 29(2) pp. 141–157.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13591835241248322

Abstract

This paper proposes a qualitative methodological framework grounded in the interpretation of skeuomorphs. Scholarly attention to this phenomenon has largely come from the spheres of archaeology and design/technology. Drawing on Benjamin's ideas about the interpretive scope of objects, I propose that skeuomorphs reflect the social conditions of their creation and can therefore be the starting point for generating a series of contemporary sociological insights. The proposed framework is applied to two case studies for the purpose of clarification.

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