Social imaging

The process of creating, validating, using and, in some instances undermining socially significant images of futures, can be seen in the attempts of powerful organizations to promote large-scale infrastructure projects and, more informally, in the processes of futures workshops. Commercial images of futures are absorbed by young people and give rise to concerns that they are overly violent, depressing, etc. and misrepresent a much wider range of social options that are available. Social imaging is a complex, little-studied process that nevertheless has powerful social consequences. The key work on the role of social imaging is Fred Polak's book The Image of the Future.