Speculative Approaches to Understanding DAOs

Abstract

In this position paper we discuss the methodological challenges associated with engaging citizens, publics and research participants in speculations around future socio-technical systems. We focus on distributed autonomous organizations and associated smart contracting and distributed ledger technologies as an example of such systems. Drawing on our prior work on Speculative Enactments, we highlight the potential value of speculative approaches to engaging people in the design of DAOs that (i) have clear consequentiality for participants, (ii) illustrate scenarios of the future mundane involving these technologies, and (iii) give opportunities for participants to co-construct speculations. We suggest these as provocative starting points to conducting future participatory and speculative design research on DAOs, and to promote discussion with workshop attendees.