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Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus
... The study is grounded in the Theory of Technological Determinism, which posits that technology shapes society's structures, values, and behaviors (Winner, 1980). This theory is particularly relevant in analyzing the impact of AI on public administration, as it suggests that the adoption of AI technologies will inevitably alter governance practices and ethical standards. ...
... AI applications in governance can enhance efficiency and decision-making but also raise significant ethical issues such as privacy, bias, and accountability (Vinuesa et al., 2020;Binns, 2018). Public Administration theories, particularly Technological Determinism, frame the discussion by illustrating how technological advancements influence administrative practices and governance structures (Winner, 1980). The review also highlights factors influencing technology adoption among graduate students, including academic background and exposure to technology, revealing gaps in current curricula related to AI ethics (Venkatesh et al., 2003). ...
... Public administration theories, particularly Technological Determinism, provide a framework for understanding the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on governance. Technological Determinism suggests that technology shapes organizational structures and administrative practices (Winner, 1980). AI's integration into public administration exemplifies this theory, as it transforms decision-making processes and operational efficiency. ...
... What has caused ... the technological changes whose 'impact' we are experiencing.&rcquo; [1] Their model of technology politics was aligned with the influential work by Winner (1980) -claiming that the politics of technology manifests because the designers of technology either purposefully or tacitly require, or at least favour, certain kinds of social order. This was exemplified by an account of bridge design by Robert Moses in the United States, which was allegedly built with low headroom to restrict access by public buses rather than automobile users thereby limiting access by poorer and ethnic minority populations to public beaches (Woolgar and Cooper, 1999). ...
... Variations of power include subnational power differences in terms for example of distinct infrastructural power in different cities and regions. Nevertheless, the initial assumption is very similar to Winner (1980) in that infrastructure is a means of radiating power from the state outward [4]. ...
... To take a direct example of this government role, Collier,, et al. (2024) gathered data on a pivotal example of information blending with marketing through an II: the Meta Ad Library, which is a repository of government advertisements and which they used to examine how the U.K. government constructed demographic target groups for their advertisements. In the first instance, the target groups seemed to represent a classic illustration of an infrastructure (of online advertising) acting as a source of state power through its design (cf., Mann, 2008;Winner, 1980). However, more closely, this power relationship was exercised in a far less straightforward manner. ...
The term “infrastructure” has evolved to span a wide range of disciplines, reflecting its diverse applications and conceptualizations. This paper argues that information infrastructures (II) represent a distinct and increasingly significant socio-material form, crucial for understanding governance by infrastructure. We examine the origins and evoluIon of II, emphasizing the socio-material differences between II and other technological forms such as systems and online platforms. We highlight particularities of II innovation and implementation process and consider their implications for the politics of technology and governance by infrastructures. Our analysis is grounded on examination of several II in our increasingly digitised information societies, spanning the Internet, social security, platforms, financial infrastructures, energy systems and infrastructures, and health information systems.
... To address these questions is to explore how democracy is enacted and becomes part of social life with an experimentalist sentiment, emphasising that the role of technosciences in society is also one of instigating processes of enquiry and learning (Barry 2001, Latour 1987, Marres 2009), while at the same time complicating the study of the experimental test setup through its a liation with democracy (Ezrahi 1990(Ezrahi , 2012Marres and Stark 2020). Part of this argument is well-known -fundamental, even -in STS: objects have politics (Winner 1980;Latour 1992;Marres 2005); politics is a socio-material phenomenon. But the juxtaposition of the two arrangements does not only tell us that politics is materially situated; it tells us that democracy is materially situated. ...
... ere are many ways to pursue this, as indicated by Marres' demonstration of 'the powers of engagement' of mundane objects like environmental teapots and eco-show homes (Marres 2012) over classic examples, like the silent but powerful politics of Winner's (1980) Long Island bridges that constrain the mobility of certain societal groups, to Latour's (1992) early re ections on car safety belts and 'sleeping policemen' capable of installing a speci c state-sanctioned morality in the driver. e chapters in this section are mostly in conversation with recent scholarship on (digital) material participation (e.g., Marres 2012). ...
This is the introduction chapter to the book Democratic Situations. It motivates the need for relational and practice-oriented research on democratic politics, reviews the state of the art of STS research on politics, and introduces the different parts of the book.
... Overcoming "the divide between material infrastructure on the one hand, and social superstructure on the other" (Latour, 2000, p. 51), this research examines infrastructure not only as physical objects composed of materials but also as politically charged entities (Akrich, 1992;Anand et al., 2018;Gurung, 2021;Obertreis et al., 2016;Winner, 1980). To analyse the specificities of water issues in relation to infrastructure, Boelens et al. (2016) propose the concept of a hydrosocial territory (HST for short in the text below) as "the contested imaginary and socio-environmental materialisation of a spatially bound multi-scalar network in which humans, water flows, ecological relations, hydraulic infrastructure, financial means, legal-administrative arrangements and cultural institutions and practices are interactively defined, aligned and mobilized through epistemological belief systems, political hierarchies and naturalizing discourses" (Ibid: 2). ...
... They favoured a linear and evolutionary approach to transitions, centred on technological innovation (Hughes, 1983). Nevertheless, the development of infrastructural studies led to the emergence of a more political and social representation of infrastructure transformations (Akrich, 1992;Graham & Marvin, 2001;Winner, 1980). Along those lines, political ecologists have developed a "political ecology of the State" (Tarr, 1984;Guy et al., 2001;Nüsser, 2003;Molle & al., 2009;Bénit-Gbaffou & Oldfield, 2011;Meehan, 2014;Rodina & Harris, 2016;Harris, 2017;Loftus, 2020). ...
This paper retraces the history of flood risk infrastructure projects (1850-1980) in the Grésivaudan Valley, located immediately upstream of Grenoble (France). It analyses the persistent gap between the modernist paradigm embedded in flood protection projects and the concrete hydraulic infrastructure built along the river and at confluences, questioning their unexpected effects. In this article, we demonstrate that in spite of their apparent fixity, flood protection infrastructures are constantly reshaped within hydrosocial territories. To support this argument, we analyse socio-material fracturing arising from the implementation of flood infrastructure projects. Four autonomisation processes that produce these socio-material fractures are studied: a) a competition between imaginaries at stake; b) a situation of legal pluralism denied by the State; c) an agency of sediments; and d) a conflict between the everyday practices of beneficiaries and planned practices. By reconstructing these processes, we open the black box of the hydrosocial construction and materialisation of hydraulic infrastructure, and contribute to the development of the concept of socio-material fractures.
... This section will focus on analyzing two media remix videos: "Main nahi bataunga | Laddan jaffri" and "Bilawal x Uncle majboor x Laddan jaffri-Baarish aata hai to paani aata hai Funny dj remix," hosted on belal's YouTube channel. I will examine these videos as technical artifacts, drawing upon Langdon Winner's (1980) argument that such artifacts "embody specific forms of power and authority (p.1)." Winner further elaborates on the political dynamics embedded in technologies, outlining two categories. ...
... belal's remixes fall into the second category described by Winner (1980) as "inherently political technologies," which align with specific political relationships. The first category, concerning the invention or arrangement of technical devices like YouTube's algorithmic backbone or the core features of Digital Audio Workstations (daw s), is outside belal's domain of influence. ...
This paper explores the transformative effect of remix practices on media production in Pakistan, focusing on the integration of Internet memes, Islamic religious sermons, and political speeches in novel cultural critiques. Using Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis, it is observed that digital remix tools enable the incorporation of typically Islamically censured media elements, including Western electronic music samples, local controversial memes, and digitally available Muslim devotional content. These are creatively remixed into YouTube videos that often go viral, representing alternative Pakistani Muslim identities. The study argues that this negotiation generates a digital media environment open to sampling diverse media content, creating unprecedented meanings that challenge traditional regional media production norms. The values and meanings ascribed to these remixes are then analyzed, probing their influence on shaping audience perceptions. In conclusion, media remix is presented as a particular competency, acquired through participation in the constrained yet networked digital media environment of Pakistan.
... The foundation of ANT is an understanding of technology and people as mutually influencing the structuring, shaping, and reinforcing of political processes, including protests (Baron & Gomez 2016). Human interactions in everyday life are affected by the intended or unintended decisions behind technological logics and affect the unequal distribution of power (Winner 1980). By ordering human lives, similarly to legal acts or political regulations, technology sets a framework with its policies, power hierarchies, and roles (Winner 1980, p.131 instruments for the leaders of and participants in social movements, assigning agency to technology opens a modality for interpreting platforms as actants that affect relationships within socio-technical networks (Poell & Van Dijck 2018). ...
... As reflected in the analysis above, Telegram was not only perceived as an ally by protesters (Wijermars & Lokot 2022), politicians, and activists, but additionally, it activated new modes of action, and ordered, shaped, and authorised mobilising and coordination strategies, interactions, and relationships between multiple actors (Winner 1980;Latour 2005;Sayes 2014). In this way, Telegram mediated protest routines at the peak of the political resistance in Belarus that started in the summer of 2020. ...
This article elucidates how digital platforms interacted with protesters and protest organisers under an authoritarian regime, producing multiple practices and agencies directed at pro-democratic change. Following the actors in the network that emerged during the Belarusian protests of August 2020, I examine agencies invoked into protest movement by intimately engaging with the opinions and reflections of protesters, activists, politicians, and editors of the leading Telegram channels who actively participated in protest events. I argue that these Belarusian protests produced multiple agencies and transformed Telegram into a mediator with agency, rather than a tool in the hands of protesters.
... The AI-based technology to be implemented into military decision-making processes preconditions the range of possibilities in such processes themselves. The technological (Winner, 1980) and mathematical (Müller & Chiodo, 2023) aspects of these AI systems thus have politics. One must consider this to responsibly integrate AI into existing and new organisational structures. ...
The integration of AI systems into the military domain is changing the way war-related decisions are made. It binds together three disparate groups of actors - developers, integrators, users - and creates a relationship between these groups and the machine, embedded in the (pre-)existing organisational and system structures. In this article, we focus on the important, but often neglected, group of integrators within such a sociotechnical system. In complex human-machine configurations, integrators carry responsibility for linking the disparate groups of developers and users in the political and military system. To act as the mediating group requires a deep understanding of the other groups' activities, perspectives and norms. We thus ask which challenges and shortcomings emerge from integrating AI systems into resort-to-force (RTF) decision-making processes, and how to address them. To answer this, we proceed in three steps. First, we conceptualise the relationship between different groups of actors and AI systems as a sociotechnical system. Second, we identify challenges within such systems for human-machine teaming in RTF decisions. We focus on challenges that arise a) from the technology itself, b) from the integrators' role in the sociotechnical system, c) from the human-machine interaction. Third, we provide policy recommendations to address these shortcomings when integrating AI systems into RTF decision-making structures.
... Rodrigues (2017) traz que videogames são artefatos produzidos e utilizados por comunidades, logo, conseguem reforçar e promover valores específicos que as constituem através dos processos de desenvolvimento realizados na sua concepção, seus sistemas de significados estão sujeitos a determinados contextos históricos, culturais, sociais e políticos. Winner (1980), ao tratar dos aspectos políticos da tecnologia (relações de poder), contesta que tecnologias são ferramentas neutras cujo uso depende da índole de quem as apropria. Para além disso, destaca os processos anteriores à sua concepção como elementos importantes para dar significado às formas de como as pessoas irão interagir e apropriá-los, contribuindo sobre o potencial representativo desse tipo de mídia. ...
Este artigo discute a representação e diversidade de gênero no desenvolvimento de jogos brasileiros, destacando a importância da Women Game Jam como uma rede de apoio e um espaço inclusivo para minorias de gênero nesta indústria. O texto aborda a discrepância entre o perfil dos consumidores e o perfil dos desenvolvedores de jogos, bem como a falta de diversidade de gênero no setor. Além disso, são discutidas as contribuições das game jams como redes de apoio a minorias de gênero e o papel específico da Women Game Jam no cenário de desenvolvimento de jogos. É enfatizada a importância de espaços e iniciativas que promovam a inclusão de minorias de gênero na indústria de jogos.
... This paper argues that bridging this gap is no longer an option, but a necessity. Drawing upon the voices of scholars like Winner (1980) who emphasized the social shaping of technology and Zuboff (2019) who warned of the ethical concerns surrounding AI, this paper aims to achieve several key objectives: paradigms. However, concerns regarding potential biases, ethical considerations, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration are also evident (Mittelstadt et al., 2019). ...
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology is dramatically reshaping our world, impacting not only human lives but also the very nature of the social sciences. This paper explores the diverse and profound ways in which this technological revolution is bridging the gap between these formerly distinct realms. Focusing on key statistics and data points, the paper begins by demonstrating the growing influence of AI and technology across various aspects of humanity. These include the exponential rise in AI spending, the widespread adoption of intelligent machines in daily life, and the increasing number of individuals participating in the gig economy. Following this analysis, the paper delves into the transformation of the social sciences through the integration of AI tools and methods. It examines the growing number of social scientists utilizing AI in their research, the emergence of new research methods utilizing machine learning and natural language processing, and the evolving landscape of data collection and analysis in the social sciences. Moving beyond a purely descriptive approach, the paper then critically examines the implications of these interconnected trends. It highlights potential benefits such as enhanced research capabilities, improved efficiency, and deeper insights into human behavior. However, it also acknowledges the inherent challenges, including concerns about ethical considerations, potential for bias, and the need for responsible data governance. Finally, the paper proposes an integrated approach to navigating the future where AI and technology are seamlessly woven into the fabric of humanity and the social sciences. This vision emphasizes ongoing collaboration between diverse stakeholders, continuous exploration of the ethical implications, and the development of responsible frameworks for responsible innovation. By bridging the gap between AI, technology, and the social sciences, we can collectively shape a future where these powerful tools serve humanity's best interests and advance our understanding of ourselves and the world around us
... I believe this condition is not due to a lack of theoretical accuracy by postphenomenologists but rather naturally flows from one of the major epistemic aims of this approach, that is, its conceptualization of the nonneutral, multistable character of technology. Indeed, one of postphenomenology's main goals is to overcome two symmetric pitfalls in the traditional philosophy of technology, famously denounced by the political theorist Langdon Winner (1980) as the social construction of technology thesis and technological determinism respectively. According to the social construction of technology thesis, artefacts would be "neutral", i.e., they would have no intrinsic political value and their impact on society would depend solely on the use that is made of them. ...
In this paper, I aim to assess whether postphenomenology’s ontological framework is suitable for making sense of the most recent technoscientific developments, with special reference to the case of AI-based technologies. First, I will argue that we may feel diminished by those technologies seemingly replicating our higher-order cognitive processes only insofar as we regard technology as playing no role in the constitution of our core features. Secondly, I will highlight the epistemological tension underlying the account of this dynamic submitted by postphenomenology. On the one hand, postphenomenology’s general framework prompts us to conceive of humans and technologies as mutually constituting one another. On the other, the postphenomenological analyses of particular human-technology relations, which Peter-Paul Verbeek calls cyborg relations and hybrid intentionality, seem to postulate the existence of something exclusively human that technology would only subsequently mediate. Thirdly, I will conclude by proposing that postphenomenology could incorporate into its ontology insights coming from other approaches to the study of technology, which I label as human constitutive technicity in the wake of Peter Sloterdijk’s and Bernard Stiegler’s philosophies. By doing so, I believe, postphenomenology could better account for how developments in AI prompt and possibly even force us to revise our self-representation. From this viewpoint, I will advocate for a constitutive role of technology in shaping the human lifeform not only in the phenomenological-existential sense of articulating our relation to the world but also in the onto-anthropological sense of influencing our evolution.
... Descentrar o humanismo nesse cenário político é também invadir um espaço contingente, complexo, e até mesmo ácido. Estamos mesmo dispostos a acolher uma política das coisas (WINNER, 1986) ou, talvez, uma democracia dos objetos (BRYANT, 2011)? Não é melhor continuar no controle das circunstâncias, acreditando completamente em nossos políticos, partidos e pacotes ideológicos? ...
Resumo: O humanismo não é apenas uma coceira sutil nas costas da modernidade, um simples detalhe filosófico nas mãos de um indivíduo ou grupo. Talvez essa matriz humanista permanece dissolvida no meu cotidiano, nos seus mínimos detalhes insuspeitos, como uma espécie de cola impossível de remover. E se ela for, antes de qualquer viagem especulativa ou deslize de caráter de figuras bizarras, uma instituição, ou melhor, várias instituições dissolvidas na própria materialidade do cotidiano? E se o preço do seu abandono for enorme, ainda assim valeria a pena? Caso a resposta seja positiva, como eu defendo nesse ensaio, o que deve ser feito? Vamos explorar um pouco algumas das implicações do pós-humanismo, em especial os custos quando é levado até as últimas consequências. Na busca de uma resposta razoável, três características revelam esse suposto deslize, descritas aqui em três seções: o humanismo ético, político e epistêmico.
... Mathematic or computational constructs do not by themselves have adverse human rights impacts but their implementation and application to human interaction does. Technologies -in their application to human interaction -are deeply social constructs (Winner 1980(Winner , 1986 with considerable political implications (Denardis 2012). While a decision-making software, for example, may be "biased but ambivalent" (McCarthy 2011:90), it has no meaning without a social system around it which provides meaning and impact. ...
The study "Algorithms, AI, and Human Rights" examines how artificial intelligence and automated systems impact fundamental rights. It highlights risks like bias, opacity, and the amplification of social inequalities, especially as AI-driven systems make decisions beyond human comprehension. Core concerns include AI's use in automation, data analysis, and machine learning, which often lack transparency and accountability. The report underscores the urgent need for ethical frameworks, robust regulations, and safeguards to ensure AI aligns with human rights principles in our increasingly digital and AI-powered world.
... Such an approach opens a potential downside: we may enshrine an imperfect procedure in a context where it will not be routinely reexamined by other humans. Such artifacts could persist and perpetuate biases in society for a long time -digital analogs of Robert Moses's racially motivated overpasses (Winner, 1980). One advantage of AI, at least where the algorithms and outcomes are open to inspection, is that it can at least make such errors explicit and therefore potentially subject to monitoring and correction. ...
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are in a period of astounding growth. However, there are concerns that these technologies may be used, either with or without intention, to perpetuate the prejudice and unfairness that unfortunately characterizes many human institutions. Here we show for the first time that human-like semantic biases result from the application of standard machine learning to ordinary language---the same sort of language humans are exposed to every day. We replicate a spectrum of standard human biases as exposed by the Implicit Association Test and other well-known psychological studies. We replicate these using a widely used, purely statistical machine-learning model---namely, the GloVe word embedding---trained on a corpus of text from the Web. Our results indicate that language itself contains recoverable and accurate imprints of our historic biases, whether these are morally neutral as towards insects or flowers, problematic as towards race or gender, or even simply veridical, reflecting the {\em status quo} for the distribution of gender with respect to careers or first names. These regularities are captured by machine learning along with the rest of semantics. In addition to our empirical findings concerning language, we also contribute new methods for evaluating bias in text, the Word Embedding Association Test (WEAT) and the Word Embedding Factual Association Test (WEFAT). Our results have implications not only for AI and machine learning, but also for the fields of psychology, sociology, and human ethics, since they raise the possibility that mere exposure to everyday language can account for the biases we replicate here.
... En la era digital actual, la tecnología ha trascendido su papel de mera herramienta para convertirse en un agente activo que moldea y redefine las dinámicas sociales y políticas. Winner (1980) había cuestionado la noción de la neutralidad tecnológica al mostrar cómo los artefactos tecnológicos pueden influir en los patrones de poder y control. Esta perspectiva cobra especial relevancia en el contexto contemporáneo, donde la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) y, específicamente, la Inteligencia Artificial Generativa (IAG), desempeñan un papel cada vez más determinante en nuestras democracias. ...
Este artículo analiza el concepto de Democracias Generativas. Para esto se explora cómo la Inteligencia Artificial Generativa (IAG) impacta los sistemas democráticos contemporáneos. La capacidad de la IAG para producir contenido falso, como deepfakes y noticias manipuladas, plantea riesgos significativos para la integridad de los procesos democráticos, que afectan la confianza pública, aumentado la polarización y reduciendo la autonomía ciudadana. A través de ejemplos concretos, como el caso de las imágenes falsas del arresto de Donald Trump, el texto examina cómo estas tecnologías están reconfigurando la formación de la opinión pública y la participación ciudadana. El artículo también resalta la necesidad de marcos regulatorios robustos que garanticen la transparencia, la equidad y la protección de los derechos fundamentales en un entorno cada vez más mediado por tecnologías algorítmicas. Finalmente, se plantea una reflexión sobre la urgencia de establecer un nuevo contrato social que incorpore estas innovaciones tecnológicas de manera ética, con tal de evitar la concentración de poder y con la finalidad de asegurar la efectiva participación ciudadana en las democracias del siglo XXI.
... How to conciliate the orthodoxy with the shortcomings it meets in recipients' lived reality? As a first pointer, Winner (1980) illuminates an important aspect. Artefacts, he notes, have politics designed within them: few examples are more popular than Winner's reflection on the low height of overpasses on the parkways to New York's Long Island, designed by chief master Robert Moses to impede the passage of buses, mostly used by poor people and Blacks. ...
... Following the traces of networks, actors, and human-material relationships within these networks, scholars such as Mol (1999), Crawford (2021) and Winner (1980) have turned to anthropological methods of observation and the rigorous examination of workspaces, material infrastructures, labour, skills, knowledge, datafication, and automation. What Crawford refers to as labour automation, some other scholars define as delegation. ...
Protest mobilisation and coordination require competences that extend beyond political leadership and communication. Technology, which has become a daily part of humanity, pushes protest leaders to obtain skills in navigating social media to achieve effective communication and leadership. Labour practices behind protest mobilisation are gradually complexifying and require a broadening of our understanding of human actions behind the implementation of technological solutions in the context of political protests. Focusing on the example of the Belarusian protests of 2020, this article examines the human and non-human labour behind the production of protest mobilisation content, protest coordination, and protest reporting. Based on semi-structured interviews with 18 respondents, the paper is the first to examine the practices and routines of Telegram channel editors and moderators, activists, politicians, and marketing specialists. The analysis contributes to our understanding of protest-related labour, which is often unseen and divided between humans and technology, and its consequences for the protest movement.
... Technology is not a one-way dependency, and as Cockell argues, a prison chamber with an air lock leading to the moon surface can be effective in forcing compliance with the rules, but a psychological blackmail instrument is not what free societies wish to build (Cockell, 2016). Therefore, technology is intrinsically entwined with politics (Winner, 1980). While scientists and their methods are crucial in governing complex issues, we should avoid the depoliticisation of inherently politicised missions. ...
... To conclude, this approach corresponded to the empirical turn in the philosophy of technology that occurred during the last decade of the twentieth century (Bosschaert & Blok, 2022). Following on from this position, Verbeek (2011) develops a critique of the moral aspect of technical artefacts by identifying their "composite intentionality" (as discussed in detail in Redaelli, 2022), starting with the wellknown example of obstetric ultrasound, which he compares with those of New York overpasses in Winner (1980) and speed bumps in Latour (1999). His work, recognised even outside the Dutch universities where he teaches, can be understood as a deepening of the post-phenomenological enquiry into the ethics of technology and an opening towards applying its abstract principles in the context of technical design and engineering. ...
This paper aims to engineer the concept of biomimetic design for its application in agricultural technology as an innovation strategy to sustain non-human species’ adaptation to today’s rapid environmental changes. By questioning the alleged intrinsic morality of biomimicry, a formulation of it is sought that goes beyond the sharp distinction between nature as inspiration and the human field of application of biomimetic technologies. After reviewing the main literature on Responsible Innovation, we support Vincent Blok’s “eco-centric” perspective on biomimicry, which considers the human and natural worlds as indistinguishable parts of a shared Earth. We propose this approach as a complement to the “evomimetic” critique, which warns biomimetic research against the limits of adaptationism. By merging these two reframing of the biomimicry concept, we thus pave the way for a new understanding of the use of human-inspired technology (such as artificial intelligence) to help the “evolution” of domesticated species into (semi)autonomous natural-technological hybrids. In particular, the examples we consider concern the potential of AI-enabled robotic bases in technological beekeeping.
... At any given time, educators (namely at the university level) may be part of multiple stakeholder groups: they are policymakers within their courses and research programs, setting local regulations for student work like final projects and for broader research agendas. Each decision they make about the materials used and conditions set has politics (or, implications) (Winner 1980). If the professor has a selection of multiple data center offerings for their research group to use as core lab infrastructure, they might choose one based on pricing and geographical proximity, but should also consider the sustainability of their choice (i.e., whether the data center is powered by renewable energy). ...
It's no secret that AI systems come with a significant environmental cost. This raises the question: What are the roles and responsibilities of computing professionals regarding the sustainability of AI? Informed by a year-long informal literature review on the subject, we employ stakeholder identification, analysis, and mapping to highlight the complex and interconnected roles that five major stakeholder groups (industry, practitioners, regulatory, advocacy, and the general public) play in the sustainability of AI. Swapping the traditional final step of stakeholder methods (stakeholder engagement) for entanglement, we demonstrate the inherent entwinement of choices made with regard to the development and maintenance of AI systems and the people who impact (or are impacted by) these choices. This entanglement should be understood as a system of human and non-human agents, with the implications of each choice ricocheting into the use of natural resources and climate implications. We argue that computing professionals (AI-focused or not) may belong to multiple stakeholder groups, and that we all have multiple roles to play in the sustainability of AI. Further, we argue that the nature of regulation in this domain will look unlike others in environmental preservation (e.g., legislation around water contaminants). As a result, we call for ongoing, flexible bodies and policies to move towards the regulation of AI from a sustainability angle, as well as suggest ways in which individual computing professionals can contribute to fighting the environmental and climate effects of AI.
... Building on STS scholarship on the values embedded in technology (Winner 1980), research communities like FAccT, AIES, and CHI have taken a deep interest in the political, social, and ethical values embedded both in AI tools and in the practices that surround AI (Fishman and Hancox-Li 2022;Dotan and Milli 2020;Birhane et al. 2022b;Scheuerman, Hanna, and Denton 2021;Hutchinson et al. 2022;Bommasani 2022;Denton et al. 2020Denton et al. , 2021Mathur, Lustig, and Kaziunas 2022;Shilton 2018;Broussard et al. 2019;Green 2021;Blodgett et al. 2020;Viljoen 2021;Abebe et al. 2020;Birhane and Guest 2021;Blili-Hamelin and Hancox-Li 2023;Costanza-Chock 2020). AGI and human-level AI concern not only existing technologies, but also the technologies that many AI builders, researchers, and organizations dream of building in the future. ...
Dreams of machines rivaling human intelligence have shaped the field of AI since its inception. Yet, the very meaning of human-level AI or artificial general intelligence (AGI) remains elusive and contested. Definitions of AGI embrace a diverse range of incompatible values and assumptions. Contending with the fractured worldviews of AGI discourse is vital for critiques that pursue different values and futures. To that end, we provide a taxonomy of AGI definitions, laying the ground for examining the key social, political, and ethical assumptions they make. We highlight instances in which these definitions frame AGI or human-level AI as a technical topic and expose the value-laden choices being implicitly made. Drawing on feminist, STS, and social science scholarship on the political and social character of intelligence in both humans and machines, we propose contextual, democratic, and participatory paths to imagining future forms of machine intelligence. The development of future forms of AI must involve explicit attention to the values it encodes, the people it includes or excludes, and a commitment to epistemic justice.
... However, since engineering design tends to be oriented around present-oriented needs and problems, one might ask the question: is it not more important to design with the near-future in mind so we can tackle the real-world challenges facing humanity today? It is essential to recognize that designed artifacts are not merely technical entities but also possess political, societal, and economical dimensions that are embedded with specific forms of power and authorities [9]. Therefore, speculative design extends the horizon of design thinking into the future in order to foster critical dialogue and reflection on the ethical and societal consequences that future design decisions may entail [7]. ...
Designers are increasingly using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in design processes; however, knowing how designers use GenAI — especially in professional design practice — is under-explored. This paper presents an ethnographic study of an early-stage design team at NASA that explores the natural variation of GenAI use across team members during a speculative design workflow. We aimed to uncover when, how, and why GenAI tools were or were not employed using ethnographic observations to map the team’s speculative design process and follow-up interviews to provide deeper insights into team members’ interactions (or lackthereof) with GenAI. Through inductive qualitative coding, our analysis revealed three strategies of GenAI use observed among professional engineers and designers — intimate co-design with GenAI, selective delegation to GenAI, and minimal use of GenAI — as well as factors that appeared to influence their decisions whether or not to use GenAI. This study proposes new theory in human-AI collaboration that sheds light on the strategies, rationale, and circumstances under which design professionals do and do not use GenAI. These strategies and factors tied to GenAI use offer insights into when, how, and why professionals use GenAI in design and how GenAI could be built to better accommodate designers.
... In evaluating potential adoptions of LLMs in public health, we draw from Winner's views on reflecting technology change and their social influences [76], arguing that adoption and evaluation decisions should be approached in two parts. First is a "yes or no" decision determining if we should adopt LLMs for a specific public health issue, and identifying any tasks that may be unsuitable for their use [5]. ...
Recent breakthroughs in large language models (LLMs) have generated both interest and concern about their potential adoption as accessible information sources or communication tools across different domains. In public health -- where stakes are high and impacts extend across populations -- adopting LLMs poses unique challenges that require thorough evaluation. However, structured approaches for assessing potential risks in public health remain under-explored. To address this gap, we conducted focus groups with health professionals and health issue experiencers to unpack their concerns, situated across three distinct and critical public health issues that demand high-quality information: vaccines, opioid use disorder, and intimate partner violence. We synthesize participants' perspectives into a risk taxonomy, distinguishing and contextualizing the potential harms LLMs may introduce when positioned alongside traditional health communication. This taxonomy highlights four dimensions of risk in individual behaviors, human-centered care, information ecosystem, and technology accountability. For each dimension, we discuss specific risks and example reflection questions to help practitioners adopt a risk-reflexive approach. This work offers a shared vocabulary and reflection tool for experts in both computing and public health to collaboratively anticipate, evaluate, and mitigate risks in deciding when to employ LLM capabilities (or not) and how to mitigate harm when they are used.
... Cette phase est cruciale pour développer un référentiel éthique robuste, qui est ensuite soumis à la validation par les parties prenantes au moyen de questionnaires, assurant ainsi que le cadre éthique final est à la fois pertinent et adapté aux besoins spécifiques de l'environnement éducatif marocain. (2020), de Jobin et al. (2019), de Johnson (1985), de Le Coz (2020), de Lombardo et Agostinelli (2021), de Mayer-Schönberger et Cukier (2013), de Puech (2016) ainsi que de Schmid (2019), de Winner (1980) et de Zhu (2020). ...
Cet article présente l’élaboration d’un référentiel éthique destiné à encadrer l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) en éducation, en mettant particulièrement l’accent sur le contexte marocain. La méthodologie adoptée englobe une revue exhaustive de la littérature portant sur l’éthique dans le domaine de l’IA, de l’éducation, ainsi que dans le contexte spécifique du Maroc. Cette littérature a été traitée et analysée au moyen des logiciels NVivo et Tropes. Par la suite, une enquête a été menée auprès d’acteurs clés tels que les enseignants-chercheurs, les ingénieurs en IA et les responsables de l’enseignement supérieur dans l’objectif de la validation du référentiel éthique élaboré. Les résultats de cette enquête ont été analysés à l’aide de l’outil statistique SPSS pour définir des indicateurs éthiques prioritaires. Le référentiel éthique élaboré vise à orienter les praticiens et les décideurs vers des pratiques éducatives éthiques, en tenant compte des spécificités culturelles et sociales du Maroc.
... Without this trust, even the most accurate data can fail to lead to effective solutions, as employees might not see the assessments as genuinely aimed at improving their workplace well-being but rather as a tool for surveillance or performance evaluation. Therefore, the collection of their true state of wellbeing will be nearly impossible because if this absence of trust Winner (1980). Moreover, blockchain's role in enhancing data security does not automatically translate to an increase in trust among employees. ...
Assessing employees' well-being has become central to fostering an environment where employees can thrive and contribute to companies' adaptability and competitiveness in the market. Traditional methods for assessing well-being often face significant challenges, with a major issue being the lack of trust and confidence employees may have in these processes. Employees may hesitate to provide honest feedback due to concerns not only about data integrity and confidentiality, but also about power imbalances among stakeholders. In this context, blockchain-based decentralised surveys, leveraging the immutability, transparency, and pseudo-anonymity of blockchain technology, offer significant improvements in aligning responsive actions with employees' feedback securely and transparently. Nevertheless, their implementation raises complex issues regarding the balance between trust and confidence. While blockchain can function as a confidence machine for data processing and management, it does not inherently address the equally important cultural element of trust. To effectively integrate blockchain technology into well-being assessments, decentralised well-being surveys must be supported by cultural practices that build and sustain trust. Drawing on blockchain technology management and relational cultural theory, we explain how trust-building can be achieved through the co-production of decentralised well-being surveys, which helps address power imbalances between the implementation team and stakeholders. Our goal is to provide a dual cultural-technological framework along with conceptual clarity on how the technological implementation of confidence can connect with the cultural development of trust, ensuring that blockchain-based decentralised well-being surveys are not only secure and reliable but also perceived as trustworthy vector to improve workplace conditions.
... Technical artefacts are inherently political (Winner 1980), because they further entrench certain kinds of power e.g. marginalised peoples' data is often used without consent or compensation (see Section 4.2); technology typically works best for language varieties associated with whiteness (Blodgett and O'Connor 2017); benchmarks are published which are biased against minorities (Buolamwini and Gebru 2018). ...
This whitepaper offers an overview of the ethical considerations surrounding research into or with large language models (LLMs). As LLMs become more integrated into widely used applications, their societal impact increases, bringing important ethical questions to the forefront. With a growing body of work examining the ethical development, deployment, and use of LLMs, this whitepaper provides a comprehensive and practical guide to best practices, designed to help those in research and in industry to uphold the highest ethical standards in their work.
... As Winner sets out, artefacts have politics (Winner, 1980). The design features of a technology enable certain forms of power, and the decision to adopt a particular technology requires certain power relations to be enacted. ...
Among the many narratives of the transformative power of Generative AI is one that sees in the world a latent nation of programmers who need to wield nothing but intentions and natural language to render their ideas in software. In this paper, this outlook is problematised in two ways. First, it is observed that generative AI is not a neutral vehicle of intention. Multiple recent studies paint a picture of the "mechanised convergence" phenomenon, namely, that generative AI has a homogenising effect on intention. Second, it is observed that the formation of intention itself is immensely challenging. Constraints, materiality, and resistance can offer paths to design metaphors for intentional tools. Finally, existentialist approaches to intention are discussed and possible implications for programming are proposed in the form of a speculative, illustrative set of intentional programming practices.
... In exploring the change in thinking from traditional socio-technical agriculture to precision and smart agriculture, theoretical frameworks within Science and Technology Studies (STS) are crucial. Knowledge frameworks remove darkness from how technological upgrades in precision agriculture reconfigure power dynamics, shaping who controls agricultural knowledge and equipment (Winner, 1980;Kloppenburg, 2004). The connection to broader theories facilitates contextualizing this variation inside present sociological and technological paradigms. ...
This study examines the technological shift that is occurring in the agricultural sector, where it is happening between precision and smart agriculture. The study was developed in collaboration with Prof. Stathis Arapostathis, Dr. Yannis Fotopoulos, and Dr. Sotiris Alexakis as part of the Go-JuST research project, focusing on regulating just sociotechnical transitions. By concentrating on technological breakthroughs, this research examines how these advancements redefine farming practices, impacting
various socially relevant groups in society, scientific communities, and agricultural
practitioners. Drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives encompassing pervasive and mobile computing, sensor networks, artificial intelligence, robotics, and multimedia computing, this study situates smart agriculture within the broader context of sustainable development. The multi-scientific lens of Science, Technology, and Society
(STS) serves as a framework for analyzing the complex interplay between
technological advancements, societal structures, and environmental sustainability
considerations. The research highlights theoretical frameworks such as the social
construction of technology and systems thinking, this research uncovers the intricate
relationships shaping the adoption and implementation of different forms of
digitalization in agriculture (the Internet of Things, augmented reality, big data,
robotics, sensors, artificial intelligence). This thesis examines the emerging
sociotechnical smart and precision agriculture system from an STS and critical
perspective. Finally, the thesis remarks that the transition to smart and precision
agriculture necessitates a broad coalition of diverse social groups for successful
implementation. Due to the examination of sociotechnical dynamics that led to the
emergence of smart and precision technologies in agricultural production, while thesis concludes how these technologies are transforming agriculture and reshaping the roles and identities of scientists and farmers.
... Utilizamos este último término porque engloba una variedad de dimensiones del debate que queremos tocar. Primero, porque un cambio tecnológico es necesariamente un cambio de sociedad (Winner, 1980) y, segundo, porque, en términos de la retórica que nos ocupa aquí, cada concepto de cambio tecnológico implica un proyecto y un concepto de sociedad que puede estar mediado o no por una idea de innovación (Suchman y Bishop, 2000). Así logramos una comparación entre lo que dicen los participantes de la controversia, acercándonos a las categorías que ellos traen al debate, para describir el cambio tecnológico que supone la patente concedida. ...
En este texto efectuamos un análisis de medios sobre la llamada patente de la panela, la cual tomamos como un caso de estudio dentro de la comunicación pública de la ciencia y la tecnología. Para esto, analizamos una entrevista radial y artículos publicados en medios digitales, presentamos la trayectoria histórica que explica el interés mediático colombiano por esta solicitud de patente y estudiamos las aseveraciones realizadas por los involucrados, para establecer ciertas relaciones y percepciones sobre la tecnología y sus consecuencias sociales. Agrupamos estas comprensiones del cambio tecnológico en dos formas retóricas: la primera identifica y resalta un beneficio para la salud humana con un potencial comercial importante y la segunda presenta el caso como una privatización y demarcación de un conocimiento tradicional mediante la patente, lo que representa un peligro para los productores nacionales de panela. Exponemos los paralelos y diferencias con anteriores estudios que han descrito el involucramiento del público para buscar el cierre de la controversia con resultados que favorecen a un conjunto de actores específico. Finalmente, presentamos una postura al respecto de los elementos de estas retóricas y argumentos que deben incorporarse para que haya debates cruciales sobre tecnologías apropiadas y apropiables en Colombia. Palabras clave: patentes, comunicación pública de la ciencia y la tecnología, estudios sociales de la ciencia, Colombia, panela.
Abstract: In this text we conduct an analysis of the media coverage surrounding the "panela patent," positioning it as a noteworthy case study within the realm of public communication on science and technology. Our analysis includes the examination of a radio interview and the review of press articles published in digital media. We aim to present the historical context that elucidates the media's interest in the patent application in Colombia, while also scrutinizing the assertions made by involved parties to ascertain their impact on perceptions and attitudes towards technology and innovation. We categorize these notions of technological change into two distinct rhetorical forms: The first form identifies and emphasizes the potential benefits of the patent for human health, recognizing its signicant commercial value; conversely, the second form portrays the case as an act of privatization and appropriation of
traditional knowledge through the process of patenting, thereby posing a threat to national panela producers. Our analysis delves into the parallels and disparities between this case and previous studies that have explored public engagement in an effort to resolve similar controversies, often resulting in outcomes that favour specific groups of stakeholders. By doing so, we shed light on the factors inuencing the closure of such debates. Finally, we present our proposal on which the elements of these rhetorics and arguments could change and benefit crucial debates on appropriate technologies in Colombia.
Resumo: Neste texto realizamos uma análise da mídia sobre a chamada patente panela, que tomamos como um estudo de caso na comunicação pública da ciência e tecnologia. Para isso, analisamos uma entrevista de rádio e artigos publicados em mídia digital, apresentamos a trajetória histórica que explica o interesse da mídia colombiana nesse pedido de patente e estudamos as afirmações feitas pelos envolvidos, a fim de estabelecer certas relações e percepções sobre a tecnologia e suas consequências sociais. Agrupamos esses entendimentos da mudança tecnológica em duas formas retóricas: a primeira identifica e destaca um benefício para a saúde humana com potencial comercial significativo e a segunda apresenta o caso como uma privatização e demarcação do conhecimento 2731tradicional por meio da patente, o que representa um perigo para os produtores nacionais de panela. Delineamos paralelos ediferenças com estudos anteriores que descreveram o envolvimento público para buscar o encerramento da controvérsia comresultados que favorecem um conjunto específico de atores. Por fim, apresentamos uma posição sobre os elementos dessas retóricas eargumentos que precisam ser incorporados para que haja debates cruciais sobre tecnologias apropriadas e apropriáveis na Colômbia.
... While it is true that technology can produce unforeseen effects, a critical hermeneutics must also explore the intentions of the author or creator, as this inquiry can reveal preconceptions and interests that may be unknown to the creator or deliberately embedded. An illustrative example is the debate surrounding the alleged racism of Robert Moses (Winner, 1980). ...
Our contemporary world is undeniably intertwined with technology, influencing every aspect of human life. This edited volume delves into why modern philosophical approaches to technology closely align with phenomenology and explores the implications of this relationship. Over the past two decades, scholars have emphasized users’ lived experiences and their interactions with technological practices, arguing that technologies gain meaning and shape within specific contexts, actively shaping those contexts in return. This book investigates the phenomenological roots of contemporary philosophy of technology, examining how phenomenology informs analyses of temporality, use, cognition, embodiment, and environmentality.
Divided into three sections, the volume begins by exploring the role of phenomenological methods in the philosophy of technology, and further investigates the methodological implications of combining phenomenology with other philosophical schools. The second section examines technology as a phenomenon, debating whether it should be analysed as a whole or through individual artifacts. The final section addresses the practical applications of phenomenological insights in design practices and democratic engagement.
By offering a systematic exploration of the connection between phenomenology and technology, this volume provides valuable insights for scholars, students, and researchers in related fields, highlighting the continued relevance of phenomenological perspectives in understanding our technologically mediated world.
... Modern water supply has been traditionally in the hands of engineers, generally self-assumed as rational professionals immune to the arbitrariness of politics. However, as suggested in various fields within the social sciences and humanities (Coutard & Rutherford, 2015b;Graham & Marvin, 2001;Thomas et al., 2015;Winner, 1980), infrastructures (as artefacts in general) are political. Therefore, infrastructure planning means more than the simple mathematical estimation using pen and paper that some RwH critics make to show how impractical this alternative is due to its assumed elevated costs or limited storage capacity. ...
Modern infrastructure networks make cities work by providing essential services such as water, sanitation and energy. However, across the urban Global South, universal and reliable services remain unachieved. What prevails instead is an ‘incomplete modernity’ expressed in unequal, segregated and often decaying networks. In this context, the present thesis addresses the emergence of rainwater harvesting (RwH) as an alternative infrastructure for household water supply in Mexico City, where the shortcomings of the local network have been catalogued as signs of a longstanding ‘water crisis’. In order to understand how new social and technological configurations are incorporated into contexts of incomplete modernity, data was collected through primary and secondary research (interviews, observations and documentary research) and analysed from a qualitative methodological approach. The results indicate that RwH has become a palliative niche for a dysfunctional socio-technical regime that systematically relegates marginalised populations from accessing adequate water services. The development of innovative RwH systems specifically designed for the needs of these populations has matched with concurrent narratives related to sustainability and social justice, contributing to the momentum of a niche space that is now being supported by the state through new policies and regulations. While these developments will not break the structural power arrangements behind the differential access to water in Mexico City, RwH has proven useful as a decentralised infrastructure that enables underserviced populations to improve their autonomy by reducing the time, effort and stress that implies getting water in conditions of disadvantage. The findings of this case study provide a fine-grained account of a contingent socio-technical change process happening in a Latin American megacity, adding to the emerging literature on urban transitions and transitions in the Global South.
... Although Winner is not a constructivist himself, his theory of the politics of artefacts aligns with social constructivism' s examination of power. According to his theory, politics, i.e. power structures, are built into technologies in the way they are designed (Winner, 1980). This can seem abstract at first, but a case study of DeepNude can clarify Winner' s ideas. ...
This paper analyses the current state of deepfake pornography from a Science and Technology Studies (STS) viewpoint. Looking at the phenomenon from a social constructivist perspective shows that misogynistic power structures are embedded in certain deepfake technologies and that deepfake pornography reflects and reinforces such power structures. Additionally, the risk perspective points to the need for effective (federal and global) legislation and to the need for increased public awareness. Finally, the vulnerability perspective reveals how not everyone is affected equally by the potential of being featured in deepfake pornography, with celebrities having a higher risk of being featured in deepfakes and private individuals experiencing greater difficulty disproving deepfakes of themselves. Implications and questions for future research are discussed.
... Still, one should keep in mind that information systems are not neutral; they distill and represent the data within them, altering their accessibility, meaning, and context (Bowker and Star, 2000;Noble, 2018;Winner, 1980). For that reason, I have included a value-based design component fairly representing values cherished by the user community. ...
This study applies human-centered design principles and involves end users in creating a usable knowledge graph. The aim was to explore the potential advantages of capturing and presenting networked knowledge in a domain for information discovery and decision-making purposes. The case taken for the research is the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Communication and Information Sciences (CIS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and the Ph.D. students are the main user population of this knowledge-graph-based information system. The graph was designed to help this user population successfully progress through the degree by supporting them in information discovery, decision-making, and tacit knowledge exchange within the community.
The study was conducted in three stages (i) requirements gathering, (ii) design of graph and its visualizations, and (iii) evaluation of the graph. These stages are presented in three papers. CIS Ph.D. students were involved in all study stages, and the methods applied were: content analysis, semi-structured interviews, website usability study, workshops, and surveys. One of the outputs of this study is a comprehensive CIS Knowledge Graph model and dataset (a rich, multilayered network) that aggregates data from (i) multiple academic websites, (ii) metadata from publications and dissertations relevant to this community, and (iii) crowdsourced student data. Upon evaluating the utility of this dataset with CIS Ph.D. students in different stages of the program, the results show that having such a knowledge graph available can be beneficial, especially for new students, as this approach saves them time and effort when looking for relevant information; helps them anticipate future steps and compare their progress with other students; and supports them in making data-driven decisions–especially concerning choosing research supervisor and collaborators.
This study contributes to our understanding of the information needs of interdisciplinary Ph.D. students, showing that most of them rely on information they get from other community members. It produced the knowledge graph model that can be repurposed for other interdisciplinary research settings, and a unique multilayered network dataset with pertinent use scenarios/queries that can serve as a testbed for designing visual analytical approaches for multiplex graphs. Finally, based on the end-user inputs and interactions with the knowledge graph hosted and demonstrated via the Neo4J graph database management system, the study produces the guidelines for designing an information system that will host such a graph and will support end users’ needs and requirements, with the emphasis on the tacit knowledge exchange.
... At an instantiation level, we made the decision for most of the package to be usable with very few custom arguments, leveraging defaults and templates. The drawback of defaults is that "artifacts have politics" [94], and so this imposes certain principles on users. For example, many of the templates (apart from debate) are deliberative rather than agonistic-emphasizing building on outputs rather than arguing. ...
Recent debates raised concerns that language models may favor certain viewpoints. But what if the solution is not to aim for a 'view from nowhere' but rather to leverage different viewpoints? We introduce Plurals, a system and Python library for pluralistic AI deliberation. Plurals consists of Agents (LLMs, optionally with personas) which deliberate within customizable Structures, with Moderators overseeing deliberation. Plurals is a generator of simulated social ensembles. Plurals integrates with government datasets to create nationally representative personas, includes deliberation templates inspired by democratic deliberation theory, and allows users to customize both information-sharing structures and deliberation behavior within Structures. Six case studies demonstrate fidelity to theoretical constructs and efficacy. Three randomized experiments show simulated focus groups produced output resonant with an online sample of the relevant audiences (chosen over zero-shot generation in 75% of trials). Plurals is both a paradigm and a concrete system for pluralistic AI. The Plurals library is available at https://github.com/josh-ashkinaze/plurals and will be continually updated.
... Flanagan, alongside various colleagues, has explored gameplay to encourage prosocial outcomes like empathy (Belman and Flanagan, 2010;Flanagan et al., 2005;Flanagan and Nissenbaum, 2014). Key to understanding how this can be approached is the notion that the ideologies, politics, and values of creators influence their game designs Fleischmann, 2013;Winner, 1980). Flanagan (2009) integrates this into their understanding of "critical play, " which suggests that games can be designed or played in ways that express unconventional mechanics, contexts, and points of view. ...
Learning through gameplay is being increasingly adopted by educators, who integrate games into academic curricula to address complex subjects. “Existential” game design is recognised as a practice for personal growth, self-reflection, and therapy, though it has been underexplored in educational contexts. The research thus describes the creation and deployment of two game design assessments for a private higher-education institution in South Africa that allowed undergraduate students to explore various complex topics. The research utilized an action research approach with a pre-test/post-test design for data collection, with results being explored using sentiment-based and thematic analysis. The findings reveal mixed responses from participants which highlighted the usefulness of the exercise but noted that the courses’ focus on technical quality and a lack of adequate preparation hindered the experience, with adequate mentoring and developer support being suggested to improve it. Arts-based approaches to such educational interventions, with a focus on “deep” games, critical play, and values-conscious design throughout the curriculum, are discussed as a potential solution. While game design remains a useful educational tool for engaging with complex societal issues, educators must increasingly ensure they prepare undergraduate students adequately for such creative exercises.
... Utilizamos este último término porque engloba una variedad de dimensiones del debate que queremos tocar. Primero, porque un cambio tecnológico es necesariamente un cambio de sociedad (Winner, 1980) y, segundo, porque, en términos de la retórica que nos ocupa aquí, cada concepto de cambio tecnológico implica un proyecto y un concepto de sociedad que puede estar mediado o no por una idea de innovación (Suchman y Bishop, 2000). Así logramos una comparación entre lo que dicen los participantes de la controversia, acercándonos a las categorías que ellos traen al debate, para describir el cambio tecnológico que supone la patente concedida. ...
En este texto efectuamos un análisis de medios sobre la llamada patente de la panela, la cual tomamos como un caso de estudio dentro de la comunicación pública de la ciencia y la tecnología. Para esto, analizamos una entrevista radial y artículos publicados en medios digitales, presentamos la trayectoria histórica que explica el interés mediático colombiano por esta solicitud de patente y estudiamos las aseveraciones realizadas por los involucrados, para establecer ciertas relaciones y percepciones sobre la tecnología y sus consecuencias sociales. Agrupamos estas comprensiones del cambio tecnológico en dos formas retóricas: la primera identifica y resalta un beneficio para la salud humana con un potencial comercial importante y la segunda presenta el caso como una privatización y demarcación de un conocimiento tradicional mediante la patente, lo que representa un peligro para los productores nacionales de panela. Exponemos los paralelos y diferencias con anteriores estudios que han descrito el involucramiento del público para buscar el cierre de la controversia con resultados que favorecen a un conjunto de actores específico. Finalmente, presentamos una postura al respecto de los elementos de estas retóricas y argumentos que deben incorporarse para que haya debates cruciales sobre tecnologías apropiadas y apropiables en Colombia.
... I agree with Korn and Schröter's emphasis on Langdon Winner's (1980;1986, 19-39) insight that technologies are inscribed with politics and are more or less embedded into and shaped by domination. I do, however, not think this allows us to speak of "more neutral" and "less neutral" technologies. ...
This paper is a reply to Elisabeth Korn and Jens Schröter’s essay “On a Potential Paradox of Public Service Media” which is part of tripleC’s special issue “Critical Perspectives on Digital Capitalism: Theories and Praxis”. My reflections focus on the notion of filtering, the relationship between broadcasting and the Internet; the relationship of media, technology, and society; and questions of (digital) democracy. On the one hand, there is a number of points where I agree with Korn and Schröter. On the other hand, their reflections also raised questions that I point out and that are not answered in their paper.
... (Digitale) Technologien sind nicht einfach das Ergebnis erfinderischer oder kommerzieller Prozesse. Vielmehr ist ihr Erfolg oder Nicht-Erfolg auch das Ergebnis der von ihnen (vermeintlich) verwirklichten gesellschaftlichen Werte und Ideale, Interessen und Politiken (bereits Winner, 1980). Eine Übertragung dieses techniksoziologischen Leitgedankens auf Algorithmen bietet der von Seyfert und Roberge herausgegebene Sammelband. ...
... One of the best-known examples of how power structures are reflected in architecture, and accordingly influence human agency, is Bentham's prison, the 'panopticon' (Bentham, 1791). Another example, according to Langdon Winner (Winner, 1980), are New York's Southern State Parkway bridges built by Robert Moses. The deliberately limited headroom of the bridges to Long Island is designed to make it impossible for public transport buses to use them. ...
Recent research on digital placemaking shows that digital media, especially those that have a direct or indirect spatial reference, can alter belonging and attachment to space and place and can thus create a spatial identity. Emerging digital practices evolve the practice of placemaking and refer to space as a nexus of experiences, online and physical components. This is created by people perceiving urban space differently through digital media and appropriating it according to media affordances and their needs and preferences. At the same time, digital placemaking is not necessarily community-driven, nor does it always lead to an increased quality of life for all people equally, but rather encompasses changing power relations and can even reinforce existing inequalities. Using the example of the ‘Andräviertel’ neighbourhood in Salzburg, Austria, we explore which practices of digital placemaking can be identified, and how and by whom these practices are used purposefully and consciously to shape the neighbourhood and its identity. Employing a multi-method approach that includes semi-structured interviews, a hashtag analysis and the examination of digital platforms, three levels of practices were identified (reflecting upon one’s own practices, representations of the practices, judgements about the practices of others). The results show that there is a conscious and deliberate demarcation of the Andräviertel from other neighbourhoods in the city. Furthermore, we found resistance to excessive digital practices with a clear preference for face-to-face networks.
Denne artikkelen undersøker hvordan en norsk o!entlig utredning (NOU) publisert i 1978 fremskriver en fremtidig forvaltning hvor datainfrastrukturen skal få en stadig større plass. Gjennom en praksisorientert dokumentanalyse og et teoretisk rammeverk for fremtiding, utforskes spørsmål om hva slags forventninger utredningen har til datateknologien og betingelsene disse baserer seg på. Denne analysen bidrar med en refleksjon over hvordan kollektive ideer og sosiotekniske begjær skapes i møtepunktet mellom ulike betingelser, aktører og teknologier. Den peker også mot en mer kritisk tilnærming til nåtidens forventninger til fremtidig datateknologi og hva den kan utrette, forventninger som bør sees i lys av tidligere fremtider.
Much of the world's landmass is already known. Deep sea and outer space are beyond most people's reach. It feels like there are fewer places left to discover. Psychedelics, on the other hand, reveal worlds that remain largely obscure. Altered states offer modern, 21st-century audiences boundless opportunities to explore what a human being can experience. In this book, I show you how to become a capable discovery-maker, sample-collecting naturalist, and rational thinker of visionary phenomena.
In the same way European explorers left their shores 500 years ago in search of spice routes by using technologies to get to the other side of the world, you can use psychedelics to get to the other side of ordinary perception and back. Knowing how to gather data, conduct experiments, and make contact with the locals will equip you to chip away at the mystery. You will learn conceptual tools to shape your new mindset, taking an active, rather than passive, role.
If you ever wanted to make more sense of your experiences, now is the time. Find out how you can become part of the Psychedelic Age of Discovery.
Based on the characterisation of complex technology as inherently magical, we interpret the engagement with digital systems within the framework of medieval and early modern demonological thought. By presenting a historicising argument that demonic understandings are inherent to the navigation of technological systems, we provide an ontological approach to the debate on the intentionality of technology. In the demonological vision of technology, we engage in digital systems beyond our control, producing moral dilemmas stemming from our inability to clearly discern good and evil demons – the invisible control of our digital lives and the irresponsible transgression of our expertise in decision making. Our trust in the digital systems we engage with, but do not control, is based on faith in the benevolence of demons. We argue that the attribution of intentionality to complex digital systems is unavoidable, even though it may be misguided. Using the epistemological framework of demonology enables us to better understand the consequences and functions of such attributions. This in turn provides a new perspective on the morality and agency of technological systems.
Women safety is a pressing issue especially in India and lately various innovators are trying to come up with ICT based solutions to empower women so that they can fight against this menace. Use of mobile phone-based applications for identifying rural and urban landscape on various safety parameters intended for women safety is one such digital system innovation. Though our previous research on similar mobile phone application "My Safetipin" shows that rather than helping the cause of women safety the mobile application was jeopardizing women safety in India. Feminist intervention in post-modern techno culture claims that more female participation not only as user of technological artifact but as decision maker at every stage of decision-making process can make the product better for females which in turns improve the society. Thus, this research tries to explore our previous case study of "My Safetipin" mobile application from a fresh perspective of analyzing female participation not from user perspective but as decision makers perspective to look at possible reasons for failure of this e-participation platform.
O que significa habitar um planeta em crise climática e ambiental? Este livro desenvolve uma abordagem ontológica para estudar o Antropoceno, uma época geológica proposta para ilustrar a indissociabilidade entre atividades humanas e fenómenos planetários como o aquecimento global. O livro resulta de um projeto de investigação que decorreu no Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra com o título “TROPO – Ontologias do Antropoceno em Portugal”. A abordagem ontológica analisa o(s)Antropoceno(s) a partir de diferentes respostas à crise climática e ambiental, incluindo o ativismo, políticas hegemónicas para a transição energética, a extração de lítio,tecnologias de manipulação climática ou até reconfigurações subjetivas e metodológicas para gerar articulações mais robustas entre agência humana e mais-do-que-humana.
El discurso sobre la seguridad que viene planteándose en el ámbito de la Inteligencia Artificial (IA) se caracteriza por un predominio de las perspectivas técnica y normativa. Los efectos ambivalentes de esta tecnología y su consideración como un sistema sociotécnico plantean la necesidad de complementar este discurso integrando una perspectiva moral. Así pues, el objetivo principal de este trabajo consiste en argumentar que la seguridad moral es un elemento indispensable para alcanzar una IA confiable, en virtud de las diversas situaciones donde la dignidad humana puede verse comprometida.
In this special issue, we focus on the connection between conceptual engineering and the philosophy of technology. Conceptual engineering is the enterprise of introducing, eliminating, or revising words and concepts. The philosophy of technology examines the nature and significance of technology. We investigate how technologies such as AI and genetic engineering (so-called “socially disruptive technologies”) disrupt our practices and concepts, and how conceptual engineering can address these disruptions. We also consider how conceptual engineering can enhance the practice of ethical design. The issue features seven articles that discuss a range of topics, including trust in blockchain applications and the evolving concept of nature. These articles highlight that as technology changes the world and our concepts, conceptual engineering provides invaluable tools and frameworks to reflect on these changes and adapt accordingly.
For a long time, technology was considered a specialised area of applied science that did not stimulate profound philosophical questions. Simultaneously, philosophers were often left out of discussions shaping important aspects of technological development due to their association with overly theoretical, “ivory tower” perspectives. Despite the evolution of the “philosophy of technology,” especially following the empirical turn, a divide still persists between the realms of philosophy and technology. This paper aims to help bridge this divide by highlighting some of the intellectual and pragmatic outcomes that can result from a philosophical exploration of technology-related issues. The objectives of this paper are, hence, two-fold. First, to demonstrate how integrating the technological dimension into philosophical investigations can reinvigorate various branches of mainstream philosophy, and second, to show how an applied philosophy of technology can enrich the conceptual and normative aspects of technological design and policymaking. Finally, the paper delves into some of the challenges and limitations that philosophers may face when addressing normative issues surrounding technology.
Gender und dessen Zusammenwirken mit weiteren Diversity-Dimensionen wie etwa soziale Herkunft, ein (zugeschriebener) Migrationshintergrund oder sexuelle Orientierung stehen an Hochschulen verstärkt im Fokus. Gefordert sind dabei auch eine gender- und diversitysensible Ausrichtung der Forschung und Lehre der MINT-Fächer sowie der hochschulischen Lehramtsausbildung für MINT.
Welche inhaltliche Relevanz haben Gender- und Diversity-Aspekte in Fachkultur, Forschungsinhalten sowie im Wissenschaftsverständnis der Naturwissenschaften? Wie strukturieren Geschlecht und andere soziale Differenzkategorien die Forschung? Wie können Lehrende auf die Bedürfnisse einer heterogenen Studierendenschaft eingehen? Wie kann eine Gender- und Diversity-Kompetenzen vermittelnde Lehrer*innenbildung aussehen?
Diese Fragen stehen im Mittelpunkt des Sammelbands, auf die die interdisziplinären Beiträge der Wissenschaftler*innen, etwa aus Physik, Biologie, Medizin, den Feminist Science & Technology Studies sowie aus den naturwissenschaftlichen Fachdidaktiken Antworten geben. Ansätze sowie Wissensbestände der Gender & Diversity Studies in MINT werden dabei mit den gender- und diversityausgerichteten Naturwissenschaftsdidaktiken zusammengeführt. Mit vielfältigen Anregungen ermutigen sie zu einer gender- und diversityorientierten Ausrichtung der (eigenen) Forschung und Lehre. Full text can be accessed here:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-43616-2
資料中心是資訊社會的關鍵基礎設施，本文探索其作為數位資本
累積工具的榨取意涵。資料中心的全球擴張涉及資本轉換與地方尋租，
本文依此探討兩種榨取邏輯，分別是資料的榨取，與自然資源的榨取。
就資料的榨取而言，資料中心掌握用戶資料，提供業者開發各種應用
程式，造成全球範圍的生活或勞動形式變遷。以自然資源的榨取而言，
資料中心是耗能產業，其設址關乎跨國網路機構、所在地政府，以及
社區間，關於自然資源徵用的折衝與協調。
社會作為一個有機體的系統思維，起源於交通與傳播基礎
設施在空間上的擴張。本文依此思想的物質基礎，探討網際網
路作為一個溝通系統的基礎設施意涵。本文首先探討系統概念
與近代交通及通訊網絡的關聯性，並依此主張以基礎設施作為
探索網際網路系統意涵的視角。取徑人類學者 Geoffrey Bowker
與 Susan Leigh Star 的討論，本文將線纜視為彰顯網路社會意涵
的「邊界物」，並探究這項連結的基礎設施在社群以及地理空
間整合上的關鍵角色。就社群連結而言，線纜透過劃一的通訊
協定，使得網路在研發階段整合了包括戰略、科學與商業企圖
的社群，因此體現其作為社會－技術制度的特性。就地理空間
的連結而言，海底電纜的鋪設與斷線涉及的多重地緣政治的意
涵，包括網路線纜如何遂行全球監視系統，以及線纜越洋連結
帶動的高科技走廊或科技園區如何具體化數位資本主義的向外
連結、對內產生掠奪與排除的資本積累邏輯。
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.