2024/12/11 by Limor Samimian‐Darash, Amit Sheniak, Nir Rotem · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Business, Management and Accounting · Environmental Science · #Information Systems Theories and Implementation #Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development #Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
paper · doi:10.1177/03063127241300625
openalex publication_date 2024/12/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
When the future is connected to the term 'imagination', it is generally presented through the concept of the 'imaginary'-that is, an image of the future that is related to a grand social image. In this article, we discuss the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries and argue that although this concept provides a needed perspective that allows scholars to unpack imaginaries associated with technological futures, it often features very broad concepts, hindering investigation of the ongoing dynamics of the actual acts of imagining and imagination. In contrast, we are interested in examining the processes and practices of imagination of socio-technical futures. Attempting to extend and deepen the development of this prevalent approach in STS, we make three incremental claims. First, future imaginaries should be addressed as a product of a process of imagination, not just in their final stable states. Second, exploring the process of future imagination reveals the effect of different temporalities-patterns of future imagination that expand the common singular far-future imaginary. Third, using a temporality-based analysis, we can identify different future planning techniques and practices in terms of their levels of formality and institutionalization.