Digital futures: The role of social scientists in multi-stakeholder initiatives
Haiqing Yu · Dialogues on Digital Society · 2025
This commentary responds to ‘Collaborative Explorations as Breathing Spaces for Digital Futures’, which highlights the role of social scientists in shaping ethical and inclusive digital governance. The commentary reflects on the three collaborative research modes proposed by the original article – creating trouble, composing futures, and securing breathing space – demonstrating how social scientists challenge dominant technological narratives and mediate between stakeholders. It focuses on ‘breathing space’ as a key concept in emphasising critical reflection of and engagement with digital transformation – a crucial role that social scientists can play multi-stakeholder research to develop human-centred digital futures. While the analysis focuses on European contexts, the commentary advocates for a broader, global perspective on data activism, governance, and AI ethics.