Many DIY subcultures explicitly critique consumer culture, which emphasizes that the solution to our needs is to purchase things, and instead encourage people to take technologies into their own hands.

The actual activity of DIY goes back through the ages--since the beginning of time, people have used their own abilities and available tools and technologies to take care of their own needs, make their own clothing, and so on.

The phrase Do It Yourself along with its acronym fell into common usage in the 1950s in reference to various jobs that people could do in and around their houses without the help of professionals. A very active community of people continues to use the term DIY to refer to fabricating or repairing things for home needs, on one's own rather than purchasing them or paying for professional repair. In other words, home improvement done by the householder without the aid of paid professionals.

In recent years, the term DIY has taken on a broader meaning that covers a wide range of skillsets. Today,for example, DIY is associated with the international alternative and punk music scenes. Members of these subcultures strive to blur the lines between creator and consumer by constructing a social network that ties users and makers close together.

There are various communities of media-makers that consider themselves DIY, for example the indymedia network, pirate radio stations, and the zine community.