On delegation to machines. The artefact as social actor within the process of raw milk reintroduction among food consumption

Abstract

A new social actor has recently established itself in the food market, following values that are becoming more and more relevant today, such as simplicity, nature and tradition. It is the raw milk dispenser. This paper highlights its social function, starting from the assumption of a symmetric approach, as pointed out by Bruno Latour, whereby human and non-human actors are given the same importance, being equally involved in the practices by which the social world is defined. In particular, the paper is based on a sociological study concerning the emergence of technological objects in Italy, as in the perspective of Science and Technology Studies. Much attention is given to the agency of objects, as well as to some unexpected effects, and to the aspects of symbolic mediation involved.