Friday 21st of April 10.15-12.00 At Room for Learning/ZoomOn Friday April 21,Martin Berg, Malmö University, will be giving a talk at DIGSUM’s home department, the department of Sociology. Martin is going to talk about “Duct-tape solutionism in public automation: Repairing for emergent futures (that might not come)”.
Abstract
In Sweden, public administration is increasingly seen as a potential site for automation. Data-driven process automation is believed to alleviate administrative drudgery and support a goal-driven, efficient public sector. Drawing on ethnographic research with stakeholders from approximately ten Swedish municipalities, this talk explores two central and interrelated ideas: firstly, that the future will necessitate automation to prevent the public sector from collapsing, as it is perceived as dysfunctional and in need of repair; and secondly, that we must prepare for an automated future by transforming today's work forms and routines to be compatible with machine communication when needed. As I will demonstrate, the interaction between these two lines of thought reveals that the preparations involve constant repair work, yet these efforts are seldom deemed satisfactory. It appears to involve temporary, makeshift solutions, which continually defer the anticipated future. In this sense, repair becomes a form of future-making where the future is persistently delayed, making it a perpetually moving target.
Martin Berg is Professor of Media Technology and Associate Professor of Sociology, at Malmö University. His research interests include digital sociology as well as critical studies of algorithms and automation processes.
The talk is given in hybrid format in the Room for Learning and on Zoom [join the zoom via this link]