An Old Tool for Imagining a New Future – Siegel’s Tech Mad Lib
At Siegel, we are committed to exploring how, as both a foundation and a member of the responsible tech ecosystem, we can increase meaningful participation and agency among communities in shaping the development, deployment, use, and stewardship of digital tools to meet their own needs. To achieve this vision, we must begin with a fundamental shift in how we discuss technology – not as a neutral or values-agnostic force (both of which are impossible), but as one that is intentionally guided by values.
Envisioning a tech ecosystem driven by values is no easy task. The first step is imagining what that could look like. However, the act of imagining itself is challenging, as it requires us to break from the constraints of our current reality and envision something entirely new, often in the face of uncertainty, complexity, and limitations. Fortunately, tools exist to help facilitate this process – one of the simplest being the age-old Mad Lib. A Mad Lib allows individuals to fill in blanks with random words according to prompts, which then form a connected and often surprising narrative.
In the context of technology values, this playful framework can serve a serious purpose. By using a Mad Lib to explore technology’s role in our future, we can experiment with different scenarios where shifting values lead to distinct outcomes. The blanks in the Mad Lib don’t just represent nouns, adjectives, or actions; they symbolize the vast array of possibilities for how technology could evolve based on differing priorities.
It encourages the blending of imagination with current technological trends, sparking new ideas for how we might address challenges or pursue opportunities down the road. It also can help us identify potential blind spots or unintended consequences in our vision of the future.
It is our hope that the Mad Lib found at the center of this book might invite us to reflect on the choices we make today, and the ethical and social implications they have on the future we want to build.