Imagine a 24-hour relay race where the baton isn't a piece of wood, but a conversation about the future, passed from time zone to time zone across the entire planet. This episode dives into an ambitious study that captures the essence of World Futures Day 2022, an open-access global dialogue where hundreds of participants—from students to seasoned futurists—joined forces to map out a global futures agenda. [1, 2]
The researchers employ a robust mixed-methods approach to handle the sheer volume of unstructured data generated by this marathon event. By blending traditional qualitative content analysis with automated text mining techniques like Latent Dirichlet Allocation and experimental geographic mapping, the authors distill thousands of discussion slots into four core thematic clusters. [3-5] These clusters range from the search for systemic solutions to complex global problems like pandemics and war to the evolving relationship between humans and a hyper-technological future. [3, 6, 7]
This paper matters because it provides a methodological framework for synthesizing collective intelligence in an age of polycrisis. It moves beyond mere observation, offering a structured way to understand what humanity actually wants—and fears—about the years to come. [8-10] Key takeaways from this global scan include:
• The identification of a 23-point agenda covering everything from eco-smart cities to AI global governance. [7]
• The use of probabilistic topic modeling to objectively validate and enrich human-led qualitative analysis. [4, 11]
• A unique geographic perspective on how different future-oriented concerns fluctuate across world longitudes. [5, 12]
• A strong call for universal futures literacy as a fundamental skill for all levels of society. [13, 14]
Tune in to discover how we can turn a day of global conversation into a roadmap for systemic transformation.
Ref:
Mara Di Berardo, Simone Di Zio, Lara Fontanella. World Futures Day 2022: A mixed method approach to identify topics of a global futures agenda. Futures, 154, 2023, 103244. ISSN 0016-3287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2023.103244
