Imaginaries of innovation: Turning technology development into a public issue

New technologies will have a big impact on our public life-world, suggesting that it is necessary to have a public debate on innovation. Such a debate is missing: instead of having a debate on the process of technology development, only expected effects of new technologies are discussed. This is undesirable as innovation processes recruit implicit normative assumptions that should be opened up for public scrutiny. This article aims to outline conditions and possibilities for organizing such public debates on innovation. It will do so by depicting innovations as wilful metamorphoses which materialize worldviews and expectations entertained by technology developers. Existing technology assessment organizations could instigate discussions on the desirability and credibility of these worldviews and expectations, so as to further democratize the process of technology development.

Automated summary

The article discusses the impact of new technologies on public life and emphasizes the need for public debates on innovation. It suggests that instead of solely focusing on the expected effects of new technologies, there should be discussions on the implicit normative assumptions in innovation processes. By depicting innovations as deliberate transformations, it proposes that existing technology assessment organizations could initiate discussions on the desirability and credibility of worldviews and expectations held by technology developers to democratize the technology development process further.