Collectively Reimagining Technology

Abstract

This article explores the use of participatory art and technology workshops as an approach to create more diverse and inclusive modes of engagement in the design of digital technologies. Taking the starting point in diverse works of science fiction, we draw on the concept of critical making and Ursula Le Guin’s disdain for the distinction between hard and soft technology to discuss the role of collaborative reimagining in the creation of technological futures. Such an approach facilitates a nuanced and reflected understanding for how technologies come to be designed and can empower more open and diverse participation in technology development.