Collaborative explorations as breathing spaces for digital futures

This paper reflects on collaborative explorations within the MyData initiative, delineating a non-linear, recursive research approach to emerging technologies in society. Three distinct yet interconnected modes of engagement are discussed: creating trouble , which involves questioning those who shape the technological agenda; composing futures , a technique to claim expertise and broker between different ways of knowing; and securing breathing space , which seeks to establish reflective domains where concepts and actions concerning data practices and algorithmic systems can be deliberated. Together, these modes of engagement suggest the reconceptualization of collaborative explorations as ‘breathing spaces for digital futures’, thereby advocating the proactive integration of social science perspectives into the core of digital society-making. This approach allows us to find new epistemic partners and respond to the epistemic coups we witness when technology experts and policymakers define the terms of debate.