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Broadening our horizons: Digital technology, metatechnologies, and their implications for responsible innovation
[journal article]
Abstract This paper argues that responsible innovation discourses must consider the changing nature of digital innovation, if they are to stand a chance of steering the development of technology towards democratically-acceptable ends. It explores the extent to which foundational narratives of Responsible (Re... view more
This paper argues that responsible innovation discourses must consider the changing nature of digital innovation, if they are to stand a chance of steering the development of technology towards democratically-acceptable ends. It explores the extent to which foundational narratives of Responsible (Research and) Innovation (RRI) consider problematic features of metatechnologies - defined here as "core information technologies upon which others are based, and whose use vastly expands the degrees of freedom with which humans can act in the social and material worlds" - and implications for responsible innovation discourse in the digital age. The study finds that references underpinning paradigmatic RRI accounts include digital and metatechnology examples, albeit briefly in some cases, somewhat reinforcing the validity of seminal RRI accounts in the context of new and emerging digital technologies with metatechnological attributes. The need for additional reflection on the problematic implications of digital technologies for RRI is identified, for example with respect to distributed development, and recombinant and network-level effects. The paper concludes that the continuing value of RRI as a discourse to society will depend on researchers' and practitioners' awareness of the potential of these technologies for cascading, downstream innovation.... view less
Keywords
innovation; research and development; responsibility; new technology
Classification
Sociology of Science, Sociology of Technology, Research on Science and Technology
Free Keywords
responsible innovation; Responsible Research Innovation (RRI); digital technology; metatechnology; critical hermeneutics
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 32-59
Journal
NOvation - Critical Studies of Innovation (2020) 2
Issue topic
Responsible Innovation (RI) in the midst of an innovation crisis
ISSN
2562-7147
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0