future

The future and how we envision and anticipate it has been the subject of scholarly attention for some time, especially from political theorists, scholars of human geography, and anthropologists. This article draws on some of this literature, but particularly the work of Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi, the Italian Marxist theorist and activist, to explore the implications of two activist strategies that have recently received some attention from translation scholars: prefiguration and aspirational translation. It reflects on the different orientations to the future implied in these two strategies and suggests that their relative appeal is impacted by the rise of semiocapitalism in what Berardi refers to as ‘the century with no future’, and by varying experiences of activists located in different regions of the world. The work of translation and how translators orient themselves to the future, it is argued, can play an important role in arresting if not reversing the ongoing erosion of those possibilities still inscribed in the present despite semiocapitalism’s growing control over every area of human life.

The aim of the current research is to identify the futures of marketing in the banking industry with a focus on blockchain technology. The current research is applied in terms of direction and has a mixed methodology due to the use of qualitative and quantitative methods together. The theoretical population of the research was experts in banking marketing and digital financial technologies, especially blockchain, and the sampling method was done in a judgmental method. The sample size in this study was equal to 15 people. For data analysis, meta synthesis methods, Binominal's statistical test, developed Copras and root definitions tool were used. The tools of data collection in this research were interviews and questionnaires (expert evaluation and priority evaluation questionnaires). 47 drivers were extracted from meta synthesis and these drivers were classified into nine main drivers. The drivers of the research were screened in two stages using theory-based inference screening and Binominal's test, and 12 drivers were considered for prioritization using the Copras technique. The remaining drivers were evaluated using the Copras technique and three criteria of importance, degree of certainty and experts' expertise. The findings showed that the drivers of marketing researchers' interest in digital financial technologies and blockchain and the development of decentralized banking had the highest priority and were selected for scenario planning. Based on these two drivers, four scenarios of crypto bank, conservative banking, pioneer banking and traditional banking were developed. The research proposals were proposed based on the important drivers and the desired scenario (crypto bank).

This study seeks to identify and describe believable and probable scenarios about the future engagement of children in cyberspace from the perspective of futures studies. Children's and adolescents’ access to the Internet and network-based technologies is becoming increasingly prevalent. So explaining the key factors and uncertainties affecting this phenomenon requires a comprehensive insight into current and emerging trends and the change drivers. For this purpose, after reviewing several useful technological and social trends, using scenario-based planning methodology, questionnaire tools and expert panel, 28 effective factors, ten key factors, and five driver forces (with uncertainty) were identified. Then, structural analysis and scenario logic explanations have been performed by Micmac, Scenario wizards, and cross-impact matrix analysis. Accordingly, the four scenarios of “salmon in the pool”, “salmon in the river”, “guppy in the tank”, and “goldfish in the pond” have been identified and narrated for the future of Iranian children's engagement in cyberspace. The findings of this study provide a more comprehensive understanding of believable futures while emphasizing the importance of engaging and addressing the interests of audiences and the needs of stakeholders in designing relevant strategies and broadening the horizons of decision-makers toward future alternatives.

AI is developing so fast that philosophers of technology could not keep up with philosophizing it. AI promises to augment human capabilities, offering new insights and efficiencies. However, it also raises concerns about diminished autonomy and decision-making skills. Balancing AI's potential with ethical considerations is crucial to ensure it acts as a tool that enriches, rather than diminishes, human agency. In the present study, we interviewed a group of 62 tech-savvy professionals from Iran's technology sector to see how they think about the relationship between a much more powerful AI in the future and its relationship with human agency. Since these participants were -supposedly- more acquaint with AI and its capabilities, we decided interviewing them would yield important insights. After qualitatively analyzing our data, we came into five main categories of perspectives on AI and future of human agency: Augmentation and Enhancement, Displacement and Dependency, Collaboration and Partnership, Control and Ethics, and, Transformation and Transcendence. For each category, we provided examples from our interviews.