On March 12 and 13, 2026, the junior research group “Development of symmetrical mental models” had the pleasure of hosting the workshop “Unpacking [Digital] Imaginaries: The Imaginary in the Context of Digital Media” at the Department of Media Studies at Paderborn University.
During the two-day workshop, we discussed how to explore and meaningfully understand the imaginary in the context of digital media with speakers, colleagues from the Department, TRR 318 “Constructing Explainability,” and external guests. In our discussions, from theoretical references to the imaginary, through forms and figures of digital imaginaries, to AI and ecologies in the context of digital imaginaries, the “digital” was deliberately understood as a signifier that evokes different forms, such as algorithmic, data, platform, surveillance, or synthetic, imaginaries.
As the workshop progressed, we found that “unpacking” is not about uncovering a fixed set of meanings. Rather, the imaginary opens a theoretical and methodological space in which the plurality of different concepts, perspectives, and empirical approaches can be brought into relation with one another. Here, the imaginary presents itself as an epistemic tool that proves methodologically and analytically fruitful while also raising questions about counter-imaginaries and, potentially, radically different futures.
In this sense, “Unpacking Digital Imaginaries” denotes a programmatic kickoff. The workshop has sharpened questions, set concepts in motion, and assembled perspectives that we intend to elaborate on further in an anthology. The contributions will deepen the reflections initiated in the workshop and present them in a more developed form for discussion. The publication is currently planned for summer 2027—Stay tuned.
Photo credit: Jennifer Dumpich
