From sites to vibes: Technology and the spatial production of coworking spaces

Abstract

Mobile and network technologies enable new ways of working (NWW) that disrupt spatial relations and move work to spaces outside formal organizational boundaries. This article addresses this shift by examining the spatial consequences of everyday practices of technology in the context of coworking spaces (CWS) as a pronounced example of where NWW take place. Conceptually, this article links research on technology as a sociomaterial practice with literature on organizational space. Empirically, it draws from a qualitative study of 25 CWS and offers a theorization of the co-constitutive processes with relevant insights for both technology and organization studies. First, this article adds to research on the relational and dialectic nature of technology by documenting its implications in the constitution of CWS as site, contestation, and atmosphere. Second, it contributes to existing knowledge on space by shifting the focus from physical sites to spatial atmospheres and vibes that are produced through technology use and the copresence of others. It problematizes engagement with NWW by highlighting how the flexibility to work anytime, anywhere is tied to new responsibilities, including spacing work and spatial self-management, as workers are required to coproduce and aptly navigate the sites and vibes of NWW to achieve personal productivity and affective sociality.