Research Setting
The growth of Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS) illustrates the rapid diffusion of the self-organized maker response (see Appendix A). OSMS began as a Facebook group the day prior to COVID-19 being declared a pandemic and grew to include over 73,000 Facebook members supporting a roster of 547 local response groups in more than 50 networks connecting groups to resources and partners such as suppliers, governments, and hospitals (OSMS, 2020). In September 2020, OSMS and Nation of Makers organized a survey to document the impact of the maker response. They reported receiving 1878 survey responses, representing 42,000 volunteers and staff in 86 countries, but with responses heavily weighted toward the U.S. (Cavalcanti et al., 2021). In the U.S., makers reported producing 34 million units of medical supplies consisting of PPE such as face shields, disposable gowns, cloth masks, surgical caps, powered air purifying respirators, as well as novel solutions developed during the pandemic (e.g., ear savers, non-invasive ventilation helmets, ventilator splitters, and door openers). Overall, emergent networks such as OSMS helped collectives of makers act entrepreneurially and revealed strong conceptual links between research on the maker movement, social networks, and entrepreneurial responses to crises.