Have you ever imagined taking a shower in a world where water has become scarce? Scientists, designers, and filmmakers ponder such questions, and their creativity in answering them may shape what lies ahead. Science fiction has long been a source of inspiration to explore possible futures. One powerful tool within the realm of science fiction is the so-called diegetic prototype: an imagined tech-based artefact that does not (yet) exist in the real world, but is fully and believably functional within a fictional world.
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Diegetic prototypes offer a unique opportunity to think about futures and their potential consequences. They can be used as embodied thought experiments, also to envision the consequences of design decisions.
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Diegetic prototypes in action
Let's examine some examples of diegetic prototypes from science fiction and how they are used to explore technology in the future. I chose these examples not because they play a significant role in the story, on the contrary: they do not play any role in the story at all.
Instead, they are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the reality in which they exist. As such, they create a plausible canvas for that future reality.
Personal hygiene
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Star Trek Enterprise, episode “The Catwalk”.
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Star Trek has an exhaustive list of innovations based on scientific thinking, such as dental care. In the imagined future of 2152, Ensign Hoshi Soto uses a sonic toothbrush to clean her teeth. Sonic cleansing does not need water, it’s solely based on vibrations to clear surfaces from debris. This concept has found its way into our contemporary world. For example, the Philips Sonicare toothbrush.
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Star Trek Deep Space 9,
"If Wishes were Horses"
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Star Trek takes sonic cleaning a step further by introducing Sonic showers, presumably to preserve water which is hard to come by in deep space.
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Bladerunner 2049 (2017), Denis Villeneuve
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We see another approach to showering and mitigating water use in Bladerunner. The super-efficient shower notifies its user of the water quality. Again, the shower does not play a significant part in the movie, but sets the scene for the main characters reality.
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Starship troopers (1997), Paul Verhoeven
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Starship troopers imagines the Earth governed by the militaristic United Citizen Federation, fending off an alien invasion. The director introduces us to a mixed-gender crew, and gender neutrality is taken as a given as we observe the crew taking a shower together.
'Healthier' smoking
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The Fifth Element (1997), Luc Besson
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The Fifth Element is a science fiction movie set around an existential threat. It is set in an urban setting in the 23rd century. The director has considered both small details that remain the same, as details about how things might develop. One example is smoking. In 1997 smoking was much more common, but its dangers were well known. The cigarette prop features a huge filter to, presumably, mitigate the dangers of smoking.
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The power of diegetic prototypes
A diegetic prototype is a fictional concept that is an integral part of the narrative. Unlike traditional prototypes, which are tangible physical representations of a concept, diegetic prototypes exist within a broader narrative world with its own coherent logic. They are designed to serve a specific purpose within the story, like solving a problem, advancing the plot, or highlighting ethical dilemmas.
Diegetic prototypes are often developed around weak or strong signals of contemporary trends. They are used to anticipate potential future developments. Some contemporary strong signals are: sustainability, diversity, feminism, polarisation, capitalism, data privacy, data economy, hyper-personalisation and artificial intelligence. Weak signals are harder to find, good places to look are at the fringes of society – the stickers on lampposts, the graffiti in toilets, the grass-roots activist movements. There are also medium-to-weak signals, like value based economies, de-growth, the no-shower movement or anti-social algorithms.
Diegetic prototypes have unique qualities that make them valuable tools for thinking about the future:
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Immersion: diegetic prototypes are woven into the fabric of the story, allowing readers, listeners or watchers to immerse themselves in the world in which they exist. This immersion makes it easier for audiences to suspend disbelief and engage with technology on a deeper level.
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Contextualization: diegetic prototypes are situated within the narrative context, which means they are subject to the rules, limitations, and social dynamics of the fictional world. This contextualization helps us understand how a technology might function in a real-world setting.
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Ethical exploration: diegetic prototypes are often used to explore ethical questions and dilemmas. By placing characters in situations where these concepts have consequences, authors can prompt critical discussions about the moral implications of real-world technological advancements.
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