Unde s anding Technology Hype h ough
Socio- echnical Fic ions
And eu Belsunces Gonçal es
[email p o ec ed]
www.enginee ing-fic ion.o g
EASST / 4S - 2024
17 h May 2024 - Ams e dam
Technology hype as a si ua ed phenomenon
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
Techno-financial capi alism
●Co-p oduc ion o financial and echnology indus y
●Financial se ices comp ise abou 20% o he wo ld's economy (in GDP)
●The indus ies ha a ac ed g ea e in es men in he las 5 yea s - eflec ing bo h global ends and
eme ging oppo uni ies
a. Technology and So wa e: D i en by ad ancemen s in AI, cloud compu ing, and cybe secu i y.
b. Heal hca e and Bio echnology: Boos ed by he COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing medical
inno a ions.
c. Renewable Ene gy: Inc eased ocus on sus ainabili y and educing ca bon oo p in s.
d. Financial Technology (Fin ech): Rapid adop ion o digi al paymen s and blockchain echnology.
e. E-comme ce and Logis ics: Expansion due o changing consume habi s and he ise o online
shopping.
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
h ps://www.mckinsey.com/indus ies/financial-se ices/ou -insigh s/ he-2023-mckinsey-global-paymen s- epo
In e na ional Mone a y Fund - Wo ld In es men Repo 2023
Hype
Exagge a ion
Hype ophica ion o expec a ions
A en ion egime - u gency
Closing window o oppo uni y
Accele a ed by financial hy hms
Misleads indi idual and collec i e ac ion
Is composed o
- P omisso y s a emen s ( an Len e and Rip, 2017)
- Expec a ions (Bo up e al, 2006)
- Technological me apho s (Wya , 2000)
- An icipa ion (Adams, Mu phy & Cla ke, 2009: 247)
- Cul u es o financialisa ion (Hai en, 2014)
- Fic ional expec a ions (Becke , 2013, 2014, 2016)
- Specula i e imagina ion (Kompo ozos, 2022)
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
They b idge he exis en and he
inexis en h ough echnology, hey
in e ace he p esen and he u u e
Ba eis, J., Roßmann, M., & Bo dignon, F. (2023). Technology hype: Dealing wi h bold expec a ions and
o e p omising. TATuP-Zei sch i ü Technik olgenabschä zung in Theo ie und P axis, 32(3), 10-71.
Socio- echnical Fic ions
Fic ional ep esen a ions "b ing oge he wha exis s as ' ac s' and imagined hings, ansposing he imagina y
in a conc e e shape" (Ise 1993)
●Media ed o ms o imagina ion ope a ing wi hin and in he con ou s o echnological eme gence and
s abilisa ion
●They a e necessa y o echnological nego ia ion wi h unce ain y
●Fic ions a e no ecognised as such - hey a e shel e ed unde echnoscien ific legi imacy
●They gi e shape o wha does no exis by b idging imagina ion wi h eali y
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
Socio- echnical Fic ions
Epis emic
- O e in elligibili y o eme ging en i ies
- Vi ual sense o easibili y
- Synch onise isions o he u u e
Aes he ic
- C ea e al e a ion in causal chains > Sou ce o c ea i i y
- Open new cou ses o ac ion > P oduce no el y
- A ac s a en ion
- Re-enchan ins umen al and a ional p ac ices
A ec i e
- C ea e an icipa o y a ec i e in ensi y (e.g. ea , anxie y, exci emen , desi abili y)
Beha iou
- Coo dina e beha iou & Decision making
- In mode a e in ensi y > gain isibili y - hype (Galanos, 2022)
- In high in ensi y (especially in esea che s) > epis emic oxici y
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
Mobile Wo ld Cong ess - 2016
Wo ldcoin - a cybe libe a ian hype
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
●Solu ion o a no -ye exis en p oblem
●Response o he AGI exis en ial isk
“Wo ldcoin was ounded wi h he mission o c ea ing a
globally-inclusi e iden i y and financial ne wo k, owned by he
majo i y o humani y. I success ul, Wo ldcoin could conside ably
inc ease economic oppo uni y, scale a eliable solu ion o
dis inguishing humans om AI online while p ese ing p i acy,
enable global democ a ic p ocesses, and show a po en ial pa h o
AI- unded UBI”.
Socio- echnical fic ions in Wo ldcoin
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
●Makes a so e sion o cybe libe a ian / TESCREAL isions
in elligible & ac ionable
●Connec s he u u e wi h he p esen
○Desi abili y, easibili y, p ofi abili y
○An icipa ion
■Exci emen among po en ial use s and pa ne s
■Conce n among c i ics
●A ac s in es men (240M o e 3 ounds)
●Onboa ds use s o he cybe libe a ian p og amme
●Synch onise isions o he u u e
Thanks!
And eu Belsunces Gonçal es
@abelsunces
enginee ing-fic ion.o g
