Mena Mesenhöller

Mena Mesenhöller is a doctoral candidate at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, specializing in Science and Technology Studies and comparative research. Her work examines how technological change reshapes social life, with a particular focus on societies undergoing demographic ageing. Her dissertation is entitled “An Analysis of Changes in Social Practices Caused by Technology in Japan.”

The dissertation investigates everyday automation in Japan, focusing on the implementation of self-checkout machines in supermarkets. It analyzes how these technologies affect both societal structures and individual experiences, with a focus on changing social practices and experiences of social isolation. Moreover, the project examines how policymakers, academic experts, and industry actors co-produce the sociotechnical automation of everyday life in Japan. Building on these findings, the dissertation also pursues a comparative perspective, exploring how Japanese experiences with everyday automation may offer insights for Germany, also facing rapid demographic change.

During her research stay at the DIJ, Mena conducts focus group interviews with users of self-checkout technologies to examine how these systems shape everyday social practices. In addition, she carries out in-store observations. Having already collected data in Tokyo and Osaka, her current fieldwork focuses primarily on rural and suburban areas of Japan.