Drone Society: An Abductive Analysis of Civilian Drone Culture
Author: Shiv Issar, sissar@uoregon.edu
Department: Sociology
University: University of Oregon, United States
Supervisor: Aneesh Aneesh
Year of completion: 2024
Language of dissertation: English
Keywords:
Drones
, Bruno Latour
, Niklas Luhmann
, Precarity
Areas of Research:
Science and Technology
, Communication, Knowledge and Culture
, Theory
Abstract
While Sociology has historically engaged with the transformative social experiences associated with technology since the Industrial Revolution, the study of civilian “drones” (or unmanned aerial vehicles) in their current societal ubiquity has surprisingly remained neglected. This dissertation addresses this gap by taking the under-examined practice of civilian drone operations as its object of analysis and conducting an in-depth inquiry into civilian drone culture. Through an abductive, multi-sited investigation of drone pilots’ experiences, this study provides a sociologically-informed understanding of the processes that structure the identities and social practices of civilian drone pilots, as well as their role in the shaping of technonatural knowledge within the rapidly expanding “Drone Society”. By doing so, this dissertation positions civilian drones and their pilots as central components within an emergent social order, extending them far beyond their militaristic contexts, regulatory concerns, and other technical domains. Through its research questions and an interdisciplinary approach, the dissertation examines the mechanisms that concern the process of “becoming” a drone pilot, the nature of work within the drone society, the relationship between precarity and the use of civilian drones, and finally, the influence of drone media (i.e., drone photographs, videos, and other data) on perceptions of both, built and natural environments. Analysis of data collected through 29 in-depth qualitative interviews, participant observation, and digital ethnography performed over a year reveals how civilian drone pilots construct and negotiate their identities within broader technocultural networks and how civilian drone culture is often marked by a spirit of collaboration, economic informality and the exchange of specialized forms of knowledge. This dissertation’s findings also furnish an examination of the gendered dimensions of drone operation, highlighting significant exclusionary practices that result from the masculinization of technical expertise and novel forms of precarity that civilian drone pilots are exposed to daily. Crucially, the analysis reveals how the use of drones and drone media creates dual perceptions of environments (on a physical and digital level), and how an interplay between physical and digital realities fosters new forms of spatial knowledge, awareness, and experience, thus reshaping how people perceive and engage with their surroundings. Collectively, these findings underscore how drones are redefining social organization, leisure, work, and epistemic practices, thus positioning them as influential actors in the contemporary sociotechnical landscape.
