Introduction

The concept of cybernetic culture was first crystallised in the 1990s to invite critical commentary on the complex intersection of computational systems with human imagination, community, material culture, and political economy. Since its initial formulation, cybernetic culture’s borders have rapidly widened and intersected with consumer culture to encompass many aspects of everyday life leading to academic and popular concerns about privacy and digital sovereignty, commercial surveillance, the spread of misinformation, ‘deepfakes’, online populism, radicalisation, cybercrime, and the damaging effects of ‘callout culture’ or ‘cancel culture’.

This workshop invites interdisciplinary contributions to critically explore these and other issues pertaining to digitalisation, consumption, deviant leisure, and social harm.

The workshop provides a space for sharing and collaboration between those with expertise in consumer culture, marketing, cultural theory, and the cybersecurity ecosystem. Oral presentations and roundtable conversations will centre on the most pressing social issues emerging from cybernetic culture, theoretical conceptualisations of these problems, and ideas which can inform solutions.