Co-creating conditions for social justice in digital societies: modes of resistance in HCI collaborative endeavors and evolving socio-technical landscapes

In this paper, we report on a three-year endeavour that fostered 18 collaborations between academic and non-academic organizations to co-create responses to social (in)justice issues in digital societies. The projects and range of individuals and organisations connected to this programme offer a snapshot of the state of social justice thinking within the UK digital economy research sector. Our analysis shows how the programme’s constellations of actions enacted different modes of resistance attempting to reshape people’s relationship to power dynamics, addressing institutions and exposing systems, and developing and restoring values for social justice. We explore how these efforts invite nuanced understanding of what constitutes resistance in knowledge co-production endeavours and how they helped surface tensions at the intersection of agencies and the distribution of responsibilities. Drawing from our insights and experience, we discuss implications for HCI concerned with the creation of the conditions for social justice in our digital societies.