ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a selection of possible futures for digital public spaces and the implications thereof. Tangibility, connectedness and analytical capabilities are important factors to consider with regard to futures of archives. Linked archives could deliver societal benefits but have risks in terms of bias, privacy and consent. Archives which can be accessed in a cognitively integrated way can act as digital ‘memories’, and future developments might give us ‘perfect recall’. With retention of large amounts of digital content, it may be necessary to build in forms of ‘forgetting’. Humanity is subject to biological evolution, which selects only for traits which increase reproductive success. Technology to augment our bodies is the subject of continual research and development, and may change the way we experience our environment. Future technology may also involve incorporating our body as part of technological systems. Future scenarios involving privacy are often utopian or dystopian extremes.
