Sociotechnical Fictions

The Performative Agencies of Fiction in Technological Development

Abstract

This paper coins and develops the notion of sociotechnical fiction: a type of fiction distinct from literary or cinematic forms, which operates within the technosciences to materialise non-existent, imaginary entities through the production of new technological assemblages. Adopting a performative approach to actor-network theory, the research explores how these fictions mediate the continuum between matter and imagination, and between present and future, through a comparative analysis of related concepts such as future visions, promises, expectations, imaginaries, metaphors, and anticipatory practices. Sociotechnical fictions are thus defined as mediated forms of imagination that address the inherent uncertainty of future-oriented technological projects. Often unrecognised as fiction, they are deeply entangled with rational and instrumental practices, connecting the anticipatory dimension of technology with its legitimacy. The paper outlines the epistemic, aesthetic, affective, and normative agencies of sociotechnical fiction and illustrates them through cases including the metaverse, algorithmic counterfactuals, the cloud, artificial intelligence, Theranos, and WeWork.