Text collage for the future home stories: a cyberpunk-inspired storytelling from the perspective of a daily object
Bowen Kong, Rung‐Huei Liang, Yen‐Chen Chen, Peng-Kai Hung, I-Hao Liao, Li-Yuan Chiou, Mengchi Liu · Digital Creativity · 2025
As smart-home technology becomes increasingly integral, HCI research is reimagining the roles of everyday objects, often looking beyond traditional metrics like efficiency. This study is inspired by cyberpunk literature, especially ‘Neuromancer’, which presents a future similar to the current Internet of Things (IoT) trajectory. Writing the future home stories is the research method we use. Utilizing text collage toolkits, which amalgamated storyboards, excerpts from the novel, and real-life object narratives, we engaged five participants in crafting imaginative stories set in their homes. By imagining current home objects infused with cyber technology, these tales provided unique viewpoints on the potential roles and functionalities these objects might assume. These narratives were then analyzed to extract insights related to the existing discussion of cyberpunk culture. Our method and findings present a novel approach to envisioning smart-home research, bridging the gap between current realities and the expansive imaginations of science fiction.