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Conclusion

 

 

                The process of learning about off-roading is inherently a social one. The more socially involved one is within the off-road community, the greater their learning opportunities, and the sooner they can adapt their affordances to suit their needs in relation to both the physical and social environment.

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                I would argue that it is wholly impossible for an off-roader building a vehicle to not be subject to the agency of their social environment. Even if they omit any form of classical social relationships, like talking to people, or browsing the web, an off-roader will still be subject to specifications outlined by vehicle manufacturers, choices made by third party accessories providers, and rules and regulations set out that relate to road and land usage. All of which introduce environmental, and arguably social agents to off-roading.

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                These social agents however are not a detriment to off-roading, but rather an asset, the more engagement between the off-roader and their social environment, the more opportunity for learning, and thus the more agency one has over the affordance and off-roading experience they are trying to create. But with this increased agency, the agency of the vehicle and environment also increases. Knowing that you need to let down your tyres, knowing which lines to pick, and knowing that lockers or solid axles increase off-road performance, is an essential first step into noticing how technology, and the environment react to and interact with the agency that is imposed upon them during off-roading. Which in turn increases the agency both the technology and environment can enact upon the off-roader in turn.

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                The main question this work engaged with is: “What is the relationship between people, their vehicles, and their surroundings?”

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                These three components are indeed very important, but their agency on each other, and their significance is greatly enhanced by the social aspect and the relationship off-roaders have with each other in the community. An off-roader building their vehicle, and driving it in complete isolation, would experience the same interactions between themselves, their vehicle, and the environment. But it is largely the community, how off-roaders view each other and themselves in relation to each other that gives rise to the significant entanglement of agency, and increases the intensity of the interactions between people, their vehicles, and their surroundings.

 © 2021 by Jorn van Bladel, all rights reserved

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