What fiction does within and outside technoscience: Science fiction, fictional technofutures, and sociotechnical fictions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14512/tatup.7281Keywords:
science fiction, sociotechnical fictions, fictional technofutures, technology assessment, science and technology studiesAbstract
This article examines how fiction works within and outside technoscience by comparing three interrelated concepts: science fiction, fictional technofutures, and sociotechnical fictions. Science fiction reflects on the present through imagined futures. Fictional technofutures capture how speculative elements of such narratives enter corporate, political, and research discourses and are translated into strategic communication and expectations. Sociotechnical fictions have an effect within technoscience itself – where statements that are not (yet) factual are treated as if they were facts, guiding research, investment, and innovation. The article highlights conceptual boundaries and overlaps between the three forms of fiction and concludes by outlining their relevance for technology assessment.References
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