TREES, PRIVACY AND USERS: THE SOCIAL LIFE OF A DIGITAL TWIN

Abstract: The data-driven nature of digital twins (DT) has led to their promotion as a solution to challenges in the facility management sector. However, existing conversations are largely technically oriented, offering limited insight into how DTs are created in practice. This study addresses this gap by examining the process of creating a Matterport-based DT. Using vignette-based ethnography and the Social Construction of Technology framework, the study analyses how this process unfolds. The findings show the DT creation as emergent, shaped by user interpretations, social and environmental conditions. Overall, this study contributes an empirically grounded sociological account of the DT creation process.