ONGOING COMMUNICATION AS KNOWLEDGE IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA -DEMOCRACY IN TEACHING AND WORKING

This article explores interactions on professional social media like Slack and Teams and their consequences of use in educational and professional settings and further how they shape designers’ understanding of the concept of knowledge and in extension democratic processes. The main object of this study is how communication functions, rather than its content. We emphasize how such communication functioning informs service design practices. To investigate these mechanisms, we use theories from communication in sports, play, and games, as well as conversation- and systems theory. The effects of the conversations on professional media are discussed in relation to knowing and democratic mechanisms and change. Finally, we suggest aspects to consider when planning, facilitating, and analyzing communication in design processes in relation to democracy.