From Food to “Detoxification”: A Framework for Understanding and Shaping Social Practices and Their Networking

Abstract

Understanding how social practices, like cooking, evolve and network in our daily lives is crucial for addressing sustainability and well-being challenges. While existing research prioritizes swift and holistic transformation of the network of practices, a critical gap exists in comprehending how these networks form and how they can be analyzed in practice. This study addresses this gap by introducing a novel analytical framework. This framework, which moves beyond analyzing the ‘performative’ aspects of practices (e.g., food sharing), sheds light on how interactions with objects shape and contribute to the emergence and interconnectedness of practices. By applying this framework to the case study of note-by-note cooking, we showcase its utility in three key scenarios: Unveiling the “Why”: Analyzing how objects become “ideologically coded” within practice networks allows us to understand the underlying factors shaping them. This empowers researchers and practitioners to identify and potentially “recode” unsustainable or undesirable practices towards desired outcomes. Strategic Intervention: By strategically introducing new objects into the network, the framework provides insights into “neutralizing” the influence of undesirable practices. This targeted approach allows for more nuanced interventions within existing practice networks. Cultivating New Practices: The framework empowers researchers and practitioners to develop or “encode” alternative practices by leveraging object–practitioner interactions. This enables the creation of entirely new practices or the expansion of existing ones, fostering positive societal transformations.