Authors
Jose Ramos
Publication date
2006/11/1
Journal
Futures
Volume
38
Issue
9
Pages
1119-1124
Publisher
Pergamon
Description
An apparent dissociation, that between futures research, with its natural depth, and larger, mainstream popular debates about human and planetary futures, is at the heart of meeting the challenges of the new century. While the corporate-colonized media showcases consumerist techno-futures, valuable futures-oriented research is ignored and marginalised. When an emerging media oligopoly has media access to most of the planet’s peoples, and promotes news bordering on propaganda, what matters of rigorous and deep futures work?[1]. All the valuable insights in the world, all the deepest understanding of the challenges we face in the 21st century, are worthless if they cannot be communicated more broadly and influence change. It appears to me that Futures research must move beyond its academic enterprise into the domain of the media, through coordinated and intelligent communications strategies, through a hybridised foresight practice that is both epistemically reflexive and aesthetically infusive. This reflection begins with this simple observation: much of the potential for progressive futures and futures-related research to influence social change is lost due to its inability to communicate effectively through contemporary and emerging media and communication channels. This problem particularly struck me while researching for and writing a monograph on futures studies in Australia [2]. Through this research I realised that the vast number of futures researchers and consultants engaged in deep and progressive futures work in Australia, from small consulting practices to large research institutes such as the Commonwealth Scientific and …
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