Emanuela Sangiorgio, University of Basilicata
ABSTRACT
This contribution intends to share part of the results of an ethnographic investigation aimed at researching the
perception of well-being in urban living environments and in relation to technology. The ethnographic
research, both in its methodological part and in the interpretation of the results, has been articulated inspired
by the method of sensory ethnography (Pink 2015) and has been addressed in the context of a theoretical path
that led to reflect on the main themes of the research: well-being, living and technology. The article shares
many of the theoretical issues addressed, some significant methodological aspects and some of the results from
the field research. In particular, it discusses what kind of well-being was researched and how it emerged from
the accounts of the research participants. Starting from an unexpected result, the presence of a perception of
well-being that exalts the role of discomfort, the article shows how it is involved in daily life with two types of
technologies: a material and digital one and one that we have defined as “inner”.
KEYWORDS
Living, material culture, technology, wellness.
