Fluid objects? An attempt to conceptualise the global rise of “coworking spaces”

Abstract

The paper explores the emergence and proliferation of “coworking spaces”. Driven by empirical observations during the last 10 years, the paper examines the analytical potential of the concept “fluid objects” to explain the global rise of coworking spaces. With remarkable speed, coworking spaces emerged worldwide during the last 15 years and receive enormous attention from researchers, policy-makers, and the public. However, researchers still struggle to define coworking spaces and a closer look into the field reveals the diversity and heterogeneity of these facilities. How is it that such different places are nevertheless recognised as belonging to the same phenomenon? Within Science and Technology Studies (STS), the notion of “fluid objects” has been developed to describe entities obtaining their strength through adaptability and flexibility. The paper argues that fluidity is a useful conceptual foundation to better understand the emergence and proliferation of coworking spaces. The primary conceptual ideas presented in this paper are enhanced with empirical data, collected from different coworking spaces in Berlin, Amsterdam, and North Rhine-Westphalia.