Tech-diplomacy – Movements and Mobilities among Nature, Tech, and People.

The sixth and final chapter of the FOUNDING LAB Fall Term ‘Digital Society and Tech Diplomacy’ focuses on how movements and mobilities between nature, tech, and people create conflict and cooperation.

What are the relations, for instance, between the Danube flowing through Linz, the electric grid powering the city, and pedestrians crossing the street?

The chapter is structured in three parts. We start by constructing narratives for the future of movements and mobilities based on science fiction imaginaries. A subsequent deconstruction and analysis of the underlying visions and values helps to broaden the spectrum of possibilities. What are the premises of future imaginaries? We follow this by a mapping of stakeholder conflicts and cooperations. Building on more-than-human experiences from previous chapters, the task here is to move beyond species boundaries and recognize unconventional stakeholder compositions. What encourages, what inhibits human and non-human movements and mobilities? In the final part, we explore strategies to navigate these complexities. With insights from international policymaking, the students will learn how to juxtapose diverging interests and approximate consent. How do we imagine a world that acknowledges dynamic diversity while creating a sophisticated outlook for future co-existences?

Hosted by Julia Kloiber, Alex Putzer, Lukas Fuchs, Kamya Ramachandran, Elisabeth Windisch and Catalysts Cyntha Wieringa and Maria Pfeifer

January 21-24, 2024

Ars Electronica Blog: Intersections of Technology, Society, and Environment in Mobility