Special Issue Tracks

Blockchain; Context and temporality in Decentralised Systems

This Track is associated with the Technovation special issue ‘Studies on the impacts of context and temporality on blockchain applications’ and it is designed for those participants who are interested in this topic. Please note that presentation at the Track does not guarantee acceptance of the paper for publication in the Technovation special issue.

Special Issue Abstract. Blockchain has created new business opportunities and provided a new avenue to address global challenges, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. However, Kranzberg’s (1986) first law, “Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral,” warns us that its consequences depend on the contextual (i.e. geographical location, scale, business setting, etc.) and temporal circumstances (i.e. past, current and future factors, pace, etc.) of interaction with the market, society, and the environment. When Thomas Midgley successfully developed CFCs to replace toxic gases in indoor refrigerant systems in the 1920s, he unintentionally created a key cause of stratospheric ozone depletion decades later. Several public and governmental organizations have already raised concerns about the potential negative impacts of blockchain on the environment, people’s privacy, and workers' rights. These concerns are not surprising, as technological innovation and its links with socio-economic and political ecology are known to be so intricate that their consequences go beyond the technology features itself. We argue that consequences cannot be understood, let alone managed, without considering factors of time and space. The aim of this Special Issue is thus to deepen our understanding of blockchain innovation management by initiating research on the effects—whether positive or negative—of temporality and contextuality.

Please select the respective special issue track and submit your paper through the CADE 2024 Submission Portal.