We are presenting our work at iConference 2023, Barcelona, Spain on March 27-30th on speculative design of information systems to uncover the values implicit in design of organizing systems!
41 questions for ethical technology
Does technology have politics? Langdon Winner's question feels urgent, as I look at my smart watch which just inferred I was "going home.' In this historical moment, where our lives are digitized and standardized into company data that knows where we are, and that we don't "own our own faces" (Sue Fussel, 2018), I've wondered what spaces exist to ask to begin creating space to interrogate the slow pervasiveness of personal data collection, where our attention goes, and the use of technologies. One answer came in the form of a call with a family member, who recommended the Convivial Society podcast. The host, L.M. Sacasas, posed 41 beautiful questions we should ask ourselves about technologies, such as:
What habits will the use of this technology instill?
How will the use of this technology affect my experience of time?
How will the use of this technology affect my experience of place?
How will the use of this technology affect how I relate to other people?
These questions, and creating spaces to ask them in community with others, is precisely what Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholars have at the heart of their work. See Ezra Kline's interview with L.M. Sacasas and the original post: https://kottke.org/21/08/41-questions-we-should-ask-ourselves-about-the-technology-we-use