do it yourself
Sign in to savebuilding, modifying, or repairing something without the aid of experts or professionals
AI overview
"Do it yourself" (or DIY) means building, modifying, or repairing something on your own rather than hiring an expert or professional to do it for you. It matters because it can save money, give people skills and independence, and allow them to customize projects to their specific needs.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
Boy building a model airplane, Texas, 1942 (photograph by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration) "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the practice of undertaking the construction, modification, or repair of objects or spaces independently, without the assistance of qualified professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as a behavior in which "individuals use raw and semi-raw materials and parts to produce, transform, or reconstruct material possessions, including those drawn from the natural environment (e.g., landscaping)". DIY behavior can be driven by various motivations previously categorized as market-based (economic benefits, product unavailability, poor product quality, need for customization), and identity-enhancing (craftsmanship, empowerment, community seeking, uniqueness).
The term "do-it-yourself" has been associated with consumers since at least 1912 primarily in the domain of home improvement and maintenance activities. The phrase "do it yourself" had come into common usage (in standard English) by the 1950s, in reference to the emergence of a trend of people undertaking home improvement and various other small craft and construction projects as both a creative-recreational and cost-saving activity.