UCL STS Seminar series: Dr Georgina Voss

Abstract

At a time when enormous networked technologies are everywhere, and ‘systems thinking’ is rife, It can be surprisingly hard to articulate what a ‘system’ actually is. There are limits in deploying seemingly objective science and engineering-based methods in which horribly complicated diagrams abound; and yet, trying to descriptively encapsulate systems can sound like a stoner monologue with pointed hand-gestures (‘Have you ever thought about how electricity is like, really big?’). In this talk, I will draw from and reflect on the development of my recent book ‘Systems Ultra: Making Sense of Technology in a Complex World’ (Verso 2024) to explore how creative practice and chaos can be fruitful for finding a language to talk about complexity, and shake out what a systems worldview does, what it overlooks, and where it falls apart.