Kapitel

• FrontmatterGetzinger, Günter; Jahrbacher, Michaela; Prunč, Roman Lukas; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-000The Conference Proceedings provide a selection of the thematic fields which were presented at the 23rd STS Conference (Graz, May 5 - 7, 2025)
• Digital city and disaster twins – towards a critical understanding of cyber-physical governanceBraun, Kathrin; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-001Digital city twins are a rapidly spreading phenomenon in digital urbanism. A particular variant are digital city twins for purposes of disaster management. The paper explores the vision of digital city twins for disaster management from a critical, STSinformed perspective. The concept of digital twin has been criticised for implying a realist epistemology and the idea that digital twins could provide an accurate representation of physical reality. This paper highlights an emerging literature that understands digital twins not as realist representations but as self-regulating cyber-physical systems capable of immediate analysis and at least partly automated self-regulating intervention based on real-time bidirectional flows of data and information between the physical and the virtual object. It argues that the vision of self-regulating digital disaster twins requires a different type of critique than the critique of epistemological realism, one that focuses on the question what actually is the system that is supposed to regulate and preserve itself. In this respect, critical analysis can derive key questions and insights from critical studies on disaster and emergency management. Drawing especially on the work of David Keen, the paper argues that the vision of a self-regulating digital disaster twin could further depoliticize disaster management, obscure the relations of power and inequality underlying the causes for and the management of disasters and, in the worst case, lead to an automated biopolitics of disposability. It concludes with the question what kind of political debate is needed to prevent this scenario.
• The Future of Digital Humanism – Towards a Critical Post-Post-HumanismMayer, Katja; Prem, Erich; Birkner, Philip; Hahne, Pia-Zoe; Schmölz, Alexander; Striano, Francesco; Zanzotto, Maria; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-002This position paper distills key insights from the STS Graz 2025 panel ‘The Future of Digital Humanism: Towards a Critical Post-Post-Humanism?’. The session brought together interdisciplinary perspectives to discuss Digital Humanism in light of feminist, ecological, infrastructural, and socio-economic critiques. While the movement draws on humanist ideals like dignity and autonomy, panelists emphasized the need to move beyond Western-centric and techno-solutionist narratives. They proposed a pluralistic and situated approach, framing Digital Humanism as a boundary object - flexible across contexts yet grounded in shared normative orientations. The paper outlines five theses: (1) Digital Humanism should not be equated with classical humanism but understood as a political response to digital dehumanization; (2) critical engagement with humanism helps to resist the powerful narratives of determinism and integrating situated epistemologies and feminist STS helps avoid universalist assumptions and centers marginalized perspectives; (3) more inclusive and accountable digital futures require sustained political engagement and the development of public digital infrastructures; (4) trust in generative AI needs to be reframed as a critical and reflective practice; (5) ecological responsibility can be strengthened through relational ethics that tie human well-being to environmental sustainability. In conclusion, translating theory into practice calls for institutional support and collaborative communities of action across disciplines and sectors. Together, these contributions reimagine Digital Humanism as an evolving, practice-oriented framework - capable of engaging diverse knowledge traditions while promoting democratic, just, and ecologically sound responses to digital transformation.
• Trust in Research Practices & InfrastructuresFlicker, Katharina; Reichmann, Stefan; Blumesberger, Susanne; Czuray, Marie; Mazon, Miguel Rey; Saurugger, Bernd; Rauber, Andreas; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-003The increasing complexity of digital research workflows raises questions about trust in research processes, results, and infrastructures. This study builds on philosophical concepts of trust to examine their relevance to research practices, particularly in relation to data, tools, services, and open-source software. We explore how trust influences sharing and reuse, the perception of quality indicators, and the development of trustworthy infrastructures. Two exploratory approaches were employed: a survey among data scientists in open-source software, and twelve semi-structured interviews with researchers from various disciplines focusing on trust in data quality. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using inductive coding supported by ATLAS.ti. Findings reveal a consistent gap between research ideals and practice. While researchers recognize the importance of verifying the fitness for purpose for reused resources, time constraints often lead them to rely on proxies such as documentation and source reputation. Trust is closely tied to institutional affiliation, peer review, and ethical standards, indicating that reputation and adherence to ethical codes influence perceptions of trustworthiness. The results also highlight the need for mechanisms to assess and communicate trustworthiness especially in dynamic and interdisciplinary contexts. Questions arise about integrating such mechanisms into research infrastructures, including standards for documentation, compliance monitoring, and responses to violations. This work lays the foundation for future research on institutional and technical processes that can foster trust and trustworthiness in the development and use of digital research infrastructures.
• Connecting Feminist STS and Human-Centred Design – a Pathway to Practical Implementation for PractitionersReinhardt, Charlotte; Fricke, Nicola; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-004Since the 1980s, feminist researchers undertook great efforts to integrate gender considerations into Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) design processes (Ratzer et al., 2021). Despite the significant scholarly contributions made in this area, there remains a notable scarcity of publications that provide concrete, actionable guidance for practitioners. Much of the existing literature tends to focus on broad frameworks or abstract recommendations regarding research attitudes, rather than offering specific guidelines that can be readily applied in practice (Søndergaard, 2018; Chivukula and Gray, 2020; Dankwa and Draude, 2021). In a recent research, Reinhardt (currently in revision) undertook a comparative analysis of several guidelines that address the integration of gender dimensions into HCI design processes. Through this analysis, we identified four recurring motifs that emerged across the guidelines: 1) a normative design attitude, 2) the body, 3) social constitution and environmental design, and 4) action and interaction. Each of these motifs in turn encompasses several facets that allow for a more differentiated understanding of the implication and ways of application of a truly gender sensitive design. The primary aim of our long term research is to translate these identified motifs into actionable strategies for practitioners. We assert that the effective application of said motifs within a design process necessitates a participatory approach, engaging diverse stakeholders in the design journey. To facilitate this, in this contribution, we propose a series of reflexive questions tailored to each facet of the identified motifs. These questions are strategically aligned with the four activities outlined in the ISO guideline on human-centred design (HCD) ISO 9241-210. As an intermediate step the reflexive questions serve as the basis for the further development of a practitioner’s guideline.
• Longevity Hacking: Ageing as Synthesis in Biomedical TestingPeper, Frederik; Wettmann, Nico; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-005This article examines how ageing becomes visible and malleable through biological self-testing practices within the biohacking and longevity community. Based on digital ethnographic observations of online forums and commercial age testing services, we analyse how users interpret and act upon their biological age data. Our analysis reveals that ageing is no longer viewed as an immutable biological process, but rather as a malleable combination of organic rhythms, socio-technical interventions and mundane knowledge. We refer to this as longevity hacking: an experimental practice of self-optimisation based on quantified ageing markers, aimed at living as long as possible, in the best possible health. This practice reconfigures notions of time, corporeality and agency, offering a new perspective on ageing as an ongoing process of maintenance and enhancement. We argue that biological age testing enables ageing to be reframed as a temporally open, controllable, and partly reversible process. This challenges the conventional view of ageing as an inevitable decline, opening up the possibility of selfdirected health management grounded in molecular knowledge and collective online experimentation. We conclude that longevity hacking represents a new synthesis of ageing: a practice in which biological and socio-technological elements are interwoven into a dynamic, experimental mode of temporal and bodily modulation.
• Co-creating Systemic Knowledge about Community Acceptance: Guidance for integrating Causal Loop Diagrams and Participatory System Mapping in Acceptance ResearchRogall, Marius; Kamlage, Jan-Hendrik; Sasse, David; Krumme, Klaus; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-006The energy transition is a key component in achieving Germany's and Europe's environmental and energy policy goals. While public support for the energy transition is generally high, local conflicts surrounding the related infrastructure projects are slowing down the transformation and causing costs to rise. Acceptance research focuses on the factors and contextual conditions under which such projects are accepted or rejected by affected stakeholders. However, previous research approaches are lacking systemic perspectives that consider the interactions of factors in locally specific constellations. In this article, we develop a conceptual framework that enables us to analyse complex local constellations of acceptance formation. Our approach combines systemic and participatory perspectives on community acceptance of renewable energy technologies (RET) and translates them into a systematic methodological approach in the form of causal loop diagrams (CLD) and participatory system mapping (PSM). The potential of this methodology is illustrated using preliminary results from a case study on electricity grid expansion. These show that CLDs are suitable for capturing, visualising and understanding complex causal mechanisms in the process of acceptance formation. Due to the collaborative research process of researchers and stakeholders within the PSM, the results show an increased relevance for the implementation of communication strategies in the local context. Overall, the combination of systemic and participatory research methods in the form of CLDs and PSM is a suitable approach to expand the methodology and analytical framework of acceptance research. It enables complexity to be captured and thus advances our understanding of acceptance formation.
• Trust and Manipulation in Generative AI: A Digital Humanist PerspectiveStriano, Francesco; Zanzotto, Maria; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-007This paper explores the dynamics of trust and manipulation in generative AI systems, proposing digital humanism as a critical framework to re-evaluate our relationship with such technologies. We conceptualise trust as an evaluative act – a normative judgement about the trustworthiness of a system in a given context – and argue that trust in generative AI is structurally misguided. This is not because such systems lack moral agency, but because the trust placed in them has been uncritically extended from deterministic technologies, whereas generative models are probabilistic and non-linear. These systems should be approached not as ‘truth-tellers’, but as ‘storytellers.’ We further argue that deceptive features – such as their anthropomorphic linguistic style and confident rhetorical tone – exacerbate this misalignment, making users more vulnerable. Digital humanism offers a fruitful perspective for understanding these dynamics, encouraging us to engage with AI not as neutral tools, but as cultural artefacts that shape our values, behaviour, and epistemic practices.
• AI in a Class-Diverse India: Rights, Representation, and RegulationChauhan Singh, Soumya; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-008The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into governance frameworks is accelerating across the Global South, and India stands at the forefront of this transformation. From biometric welfare systems and predictive policing to algorithmic surveillance, AI is increasingly embedded in public service delivery and state infrastructure. However, this technological expansion occurs within a socio-political landscape deeply shaped by caste, religion, and economic class. This paper critically interrogates how AI systems intersect with India’s entrenched hierarchies, revealing the representational, regulatory, and ethical gaps that threaten to reproduce and entrench structural injustice. Drawing from interdisciplinary frameworks in AI ethics, critical data studies, and postcolonial science and technology studies, the paper engages with concepts such as sociotechnical imaginaries, algorithmic discrimination, and data colonialism. It explores how digital systems often erase class-based identities, resulting in opaque decisionmaking, discriminatory surveillance, and the erosion of privacy and agency for marginalized communities. Through case studies of facial recognition, welfare exclusion, and predictive policing, the paper demonstrates how caste, religious, and economic markers are indirectly encoded into algorithmic governance. The analysis reveals that India's techno-solutionist regulatory model prioritizes innovation and efficiency over rights, accountability, and inclusion. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, fails to address algorithmic discrimination, ensure transparency, or mandate oversight. In response, the paper proposes a rights-based, class-conscious AI governance model rooted in India's constitutional commitments to equality, justice, and fraternity. It calls for participatory design, disaggregated data practices, and robust accountability mechanisms to ensure AI serves as a tool of inclusion rather than oppression.
• The multiple functions of viral testing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece: public health and the governance of societyVlantoni, Katerina; Raptis, Kostas; Barlagiannis, Athanasios; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-009This paper addresses the role of viral testing in the management of the COVID- 19 pandemic in Greece by paying attention to the ways testing advanced during the years 2020-21. Prior studies have highlighted the central role of testing in managing the pandemic and its complex implications at both local and global levels. Our analysis focuses on how testing became increasingly widespread and embedded within Greek society over time. Drawing on a range of sources, we situate public health policy-making within the temporal dynamics of the pandemic, tracing the evolving logics and uses of tests, or, as we term it, the distinct functions of testing. Our analysis foregrounds the ways in which tests decoupled from their initial clinical/diagnostic orientation to assume epidemiological, organizational, and punitive functions. In doing so, we highlight the progressive blurring between testing and screening, particularly in relation to the expansion of self-administered rapid antigen tests. We argue that this shift signals not only a transformation in pandemic management but also a broader reconfiguration of health governance toward individual responsibility and self-surveillance. We contextualize these developments within state-led initiatives promoting the digital transformation of public services in Greece. We suggest that the infrastructures and practices surrounding viral testing played a pivotal role in operationalizing this digital agenda. We conclude that the multiple functions of viral testing accumulate in overlapping layers, serving diverse purposes, often simultaneously, not limited to the strict clinical or epidemiological ones.
• Research Ethics Governance with Responsible AI SandboxesGille, Michael; Tropmann-Frick, Marina; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-010University research ethics committees (REC) face challenges in overseeing artificial intelligence (AI) research. Historically rooted in biomedical and social science paradigms, REC were not designed to evaluate the epistemic, temporal, and normative complexities of AI and machine learning research. The EU’s AI Act exacerbates this tension by exempting academic research from its scope while at the same time promoting the application of ethics guidelines, thereby creating a zone of normative ambiguity. This paper critically examines the resulting governance vacuum. We argue that conventional ethical review processes are inadequate in many cases for reasons inherent in AI research, which is often iterative and interdisciplinary, characterized by shifting goals and emerging risks, as well as because of the normative and socio-technical co-construction of AI technology development. We propose the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Sandbox as a model for research ethics governance. It reframes the role of REC from static evaluators to co-constructors of ethical oversight within experimental research environments. Drawing on insights from regulatory sandboxes in EU law and national contexts, this conceptual model enables dynamic, participatory, and reflexive engagement with ethics throughout the research lifecycle. Two main contributions are made: we diagnose structural misalignments of existing research ethics infrastructure and conceptualize responsible AI sandboxes as an institutional and methodological innovation that aligns ethical governance with the nature of research on and with AI.
• A new approach to sustainable development and decarbonisation of airport and seaport territories trough citizen science – HubCitiesPansinger, Sanela; Berčič, Tomaž; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-011The HubCities initiative addresses, in the context of other objectives, is the decarbonization of high-carbon airport and port areas as key hubs of European infrastructure. Ecological, social, and spatial factors are taken into consideration in the project, along with the involvement of the local population. Participatory planning and citizen science play a central role in this process. Therefore it is essential to underscore that citizens take an active role in identifying, planning, and implementing new measures. In this manner the project works towards local transformation via the combination of CO₂ reduction and integration with social justice with aim to reach more sustainable spatial organizations. HubCities as a result acquires valuable experience in the design of climate-neutral, human-scale future cities.
• Continuing Education in HTA for Digital Health IntegrationJensen, Mie Basballe; Børsen, Tom; Berthing, Frederik Albert; Mathisen Klingenberg, Lucas; Overgaard Bjørnholdt, Olivia ; Rasmussen, Sisse Rej ; Rasmussen, Sasha Sofie Mie ; Zinck, Christian Ditlev; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-012This paper explores how continuing education can support more contextsensitive and ethically grounded enactments of digital health technologies in the Danish healthcare system. Based on 20 semi-structured interviews with health actors across clinical, educational, managerial, innovation and policy domains, we analyse how different professionals perceive current enactments of health technologies and the role of continuing education. Our analysis reveals widespread concern over time scarcity, fragmented responsibilities, and lack of shared vocabularies across professional domains. Interviewees call not only for technical training, but for educational spaces that support critical reflection, ethical awareness, and cross-professional dialogue. In response, we present Health Technology Assessment 2.0 (HTA 2.0), a framework developed for continuing education. Drawing on both inductive and deductive coding, we examine how its six dimensions (Technology, Economy, Environment, Organisation, Patient/Citizen, and Ethics) resonate with everyday practice and healthcare actors’ concerns. We suggest the potential of HTA 2.0 to act as a boundary object: structuring shared reflections while accommodating different professional viewpoints. We conclude that continuing education should not aim for consensus but provide structured arenas where health actors can explore challenges, reflect on dilemmas, and co-develop meaningful approaches to digital transformation.
• Gaia women* garden: Co-Creating a space for transformative learning on bio-/diversityKarner, Sandra; Steinwender, David; Thaler, Anita; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-013This paper explores how biodiversity-related learning emerged in the GAIA Gartenberg women’s garden in Graz, Austria. Drawing on Science and Technology Studies (STS), we analyse the garden as a socio-material learning environment in which knowledge, agency, and ecological relations are co-produced. Using reflection protocols, field notes, interviews, and Systematisation of Experience workshops, we explore how participation unfolded throughout the gardening season in 2024. The findings show that participation became possible for women in precarious life situations because enabling infrastructures such as land access, childcare, and translation were in place. Relational practices within the group fostered a cohesive and supportive community. Situated learning emerged through embodied, biographically rooted and culturally grounded engagements with plants, soil, insects, and food. More-than-human care practices reshaped participants’ ecological sensibilities, and over time, processes of selforganisation, empowerment, and civic agency developed. The study states that transformative learning arises from socio-material and multispecies relations, and community gardens may be considered situated infrastructures of care and co-production that enable inclusive transformative learning.
• Responsible Agri-Food Research: A Behavioural PerspectiveAmoneit, Madita; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-014The agri-food system experiences pressures for a socially-desirable and sustainable transformation. The Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach can arguably contribute towards a transition to more sustainable agri-food systems. However, its successful implementation in the agri-food context remains challenging. This study examines if and how agri-food researchers enact the RRI principles – particularly inclusion and anticipation – and identifies influencing factors at the individual level. Findings indicate that inclusive behaviours, such as stakeholder engagement, are more common than anticipatory behaviours. A cluster analysis reveals two behavioural patterns: ‘Anticipatory Collaborators’ and ‘Non-anticipative Collaborators’ both engaging stakeholders in their agri-food research but the latter show less anticipatory behaviours. Supporting agri-food researchers in improving their skills and creating conducive organisational environments could enhance their engagement in responsible research behaviours. By introducing a behavioural lens to RRI, this study enhances the understanding of its enactment and underscores the role of individual researchers in advancing a responsible agri-food transition.
• Building Research Communities through Communication: The Case of FOSSRFabrizio, Serena; Giuffredi, Rita; Stilo, Alessandra Maria; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-015In the age of Open Science, research communication within Open Research Infrastructures (RIs) should evolve beyond traditional dissemination models. Rather than merely transferring knowledge, communication should serve as an enabling mechanism for community-building, ensuring long-term engagement with research outputs. Open Science RIs depend on active and engaged communities to achieve their mission of collecting, curating, and sharing research data. Without sustained interaction between researchers, policymakers, stakeholder groups, and the public, infrastructures risk becoming static repositories rather than dynamic spaces for knowledge exchange. This paper explores how research infrastructures can foster collaborative, participatory, and sustainable Open Science. We present the conceptual design and mid-term results of the communication strategy developed for the NRRP-funded FOSSR (Fostering Open Science in Social Science Research) Research Infrastructure, showing how communication can be reframed as an infrastructural function rather than an auxiliary activity. By examining FOSSR’s communication strategy, this paper contributes to ongoing discussions about the evolving role of communication in Open Science research infrastructures. It argues that research infrastructure communication must move beyond knowledge transfer to actively shaping collaborative research environments. This shift is critical for ensuring the sustainability, inclusivity, and long-term impact of Open Science initiatives.
• Health Data Circulation in France: Between Public Interest and Privacy Enhancing TechnologiesBernelin, Margo; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-016Within the healthcare system, the promises of Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) have attracted considerable attention to the point that, in France, personal health data cannot be used for anything other than care if it is not protected by such Technologies. This movement toward exploring more closely ‘data circulation-privacyfriendly’ solutions emerged about ten years ago in a context where the State was willing to encourage health data circulation for medical research. Indeed, in France, the most important health databases are operated by the State and have the advantage of being comprehensive in terms of population. In a bidding war with other States that were also willing to open their databases for research, the French Government introduced a bill to make the national databases accessible for research. To obtain support for the bill, some Members of Parliament and Senators, but also the French Health Ministry kept putting forward the benefits of Privacy Enhancing-Technologies in protecting health data and focussed on the public interest dimension of sharing health data for research purposes. Analysing the legal landscape and discourse, this paper demonstrates that since 2016, Privacy Enhancing-Technologies have been a key factor in authorising data access alongside the public interest to conduct research. Rather than closing any debate on data privacy, it has actually opened new questions on the efficacy of Privacy Enhancing- Technologies and on what their scope should include.
• Societal Impact of Digital Credentials on Vocational Training in Latin AmericaNussbaumer, Alexander; Alario-Hoyos, Carlos; Kloos Delgado, Carlos; Russ- Baumann, Chiara; Kern, Carina; Chan Morales, Miguel Antonio; Amado-Salvatierra, Hector R.; Argueta Veliz, Luis Eduardo; Gütl, Christian; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-017This paper presents initial results of a pilot project that aims to introduce and sustain the use of digital credentials in Latin America. Digital credentials represent a major innovation, supporting the modular and flexible learning paths necessary for continuous reskilling in today’s fast-changing labor market. Latin America can even more benefit from digital credentials, as a vulnerable youth exists that faces heightened barriers to education, employment, and training. However, there are severe challenges to introducing digital credentials in vocational training especially in Latin America, due to legal uncertainties, lack of standardization, limited interoperability, a weak digital culture in institutions, and a fragmented situation of educational institutions. As a solution approach, we have set up a training and awareness programme that introduces key concepts to all relevant stakeholders in the vocational training area in Guatemala, accompanied by pilot implementation for institutional demonstrations. In a survey, young people in Guatemala reacted very positively to this aim of introducing digital credentials and an expert group outlined opportunities and pitfalls.
• Enabling Dilemma of AI for Disabled IndividualsNaraghi, Narges; Nierling, Linda; Wölfel, Matthias; 10.3217/978-3-99161-062-5-018The fairness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for individuals with disabilities is a complex and contested issue, as AI holds both inclusive and exclusive potential. On the one hand, AI can empower disabled individuals by mitigating barriers; on the other hand, it may perpetuate discrimination against marginalized groups, including those with disabilities. Intersectionality further differentiates this picture by highlighting how multiple forms of discrimination intensify these challenges. Leaning on this argument, this paper addresses the following question: How do intersectional forms of discrimination interfere with the enabling power of AI for disabled individuals? We argue that autonomy, the capacity to decide, plan, and act toward personal goals, provides a fitting analytical lens, as it encompasses crucial dimensions like agency and accessibility. Using a qualitative analysis of 48 online documents publicly available at websites that address inclusive AI for disability, we identify two key insights. First, intersectional discrimination does not merely obscure AI's enabling potential; it can actively reverse it, undermining the autonomy of disabled individuals. Second, bringing the broader society into the analysis, the control of disabled people over their lives, as compared to the society that they live in, may shrink, regardless of their autonomy in their personal lives. This debate formulates AI's enabling dilemma: while promising empowerment, AI may deepen disparities due to intersectionality and the accelerating enablement of the general population. Fairness of AI, therefore, must be assessed not only through the lens of disability but also in the context of broader societal structures and inequalities.