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- Convenors:
-
Coppélie Cocq
(Umeå University)
Liisi Laineste (Estonian Literary Museum)
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- Format:
- Panel
Short Abstract:
This panel addresses the concept of digital imaginaries and its operationalizations, for instance visions of the internet as a liberating force, dystopian fears of artificial intelligence, or the role of social media narratives in constructing and disseminating digital imaginaries of privacy.
Long Abstract:
This panel addresses the concept of digital imaginaries and its operationalizations. By digital imaginaries, we refer to the collective myths, visions, expectations, and narratives that shape our understanding and engagement with digital technologies. These imaginaries are not merely individual mental constructs, but shared cultural phenomena that influence attitudes, policies, and technological trajectories. We are convinced that researchers in ethnology, folklore and adjacent disciplines are particularly well-equipped for exploring such imaginaries to understand how they reflect and shape societal values, power dynamics, and cultural identities in the digital age. The panel is brought together by the DEF working group in order to critically evaluate the societal implications of digital transformations.
Suggested topics:
- What are the narratives and symbols that constitute digital imaginaries, such as the utopian visions of the internet as a liberating force or the dystopian fears of artificial intelligence?
- What ethical implications arise from the digital imaginaries that envision a future dominated by autonomous systems and AI?
- How have historical narratives of technological progress influenced current digital imaginaries?
- What role do social media narratives play in constructing and disseminating digital imaginaries of privacy and surveillance?
- What were the past imaginaries of “the internet” and how have these come to shape our understanding of the digital in present days?
- Which stories take precedence over others in the historiography of the internet and its emergence, and what are the implications for today's digital landscape?
This Panel has so far received 7 paper proposal(s).
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