‘Blockchain for good’: Exploring the notion of social good inside the blockchain scene

IF 6.5 1区社会学 Q1 SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY

Big Data & Society Pub Date : 2023-07-01 DOI:10.1177/20539517231205479

Silvia Semenzin

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

One of the most intriguing discussions concerning blockchain technology revolves around its potential to ‘do good’. Consequently, numerous projects and institutions are showing interest in the capacity of blockchain to impact the social sphere positively. However, so far, very little literature has addressed the fundamental notion of ‘good’ that underlies its implementation or explores its connection to social justice theories. This article aims to analyse the narratives that surround the use of blockchain for social good and to compare them with traditional concepts that are significant in social justice theories, such as distribution and recognition. Results show that the selected informants involved in the blockchain scene tend to frame social good in rational, mathematical, and often competitive terms. This tendency contributes to the reinforcement of a neoliberal imaginary that neglects to address structural inequalities as relevant issues. Instead, it envisions social justice as an avenue for generating value, enhancing meritocracy, and ensuring technical accountability, echoing Silicon Valley's aspirations to ‘change the world’.

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“区块链为善”:探索区块链场景中的社会公益概念

关于区块链技术最有趣的讨论之一围绕着它“做好事”的潜力。因此，许多项目和机构对区块链对社会领域产生积极影响的能力表现出兴趣。然而，到目前为止，很少有文献涉及“好”的基本概念，即其实施的基础或探索其与社会正义理论的联系。本文旨在分析围绕将区块链用于社会公益的叙述，并将其与社会正义理论中重要的传统概念(如分配和识别)进行比较。结果表明，参与区块链场景的选定线人倾向于以理性、数学和通常是竞争性的术语来构建社会公益。这种趋势有助于加强新自由主义的想象，忽视了将结构性不平等作为相关问题来解决。相反，它将社会正义视为创造价值、加强精英管理和确保技术问责制的途径，这与硅谷“改变世界”的愿望相呼应。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Big Data & Society SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

10.90

自引率

10.60%

发文量

审稿时长

11 weeks

期刊介绍： Big Data & Society (BD&S) is an open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes interdisciplinary work principally in the social sciences, humanities, and computing and their intersections with the arts and natural sciences. The journal focuses on the implications of Big Data for societies and aims to connect debates about Big Data practices and their effects on various sectors such as academia, social life, industry, business, and government. BD&S considers Big Data as an emerging field of practices, not solely defined by but generative of unique data qualities such as high volume, granularity, data linking, and mining. The journal pays attention to digital content generated both online and offline, encompassing social media, search engines, closed networks (e.g., commercial or government transactions), and open networks like digital archives, open government, and crowdsourced data. Rather than providing a fixed definition of Big Data, BD&S encourages interdisciplinary inquiries, debates, and studies on various topics and themes related to Big Data practices. BD&S seeks contributions that analyze Big Data practices, involve empirical engagements and experiments with innovative methods, and reflect on the consequences of these practices for the representation, realization, and governance of societies. As a digital-only journal, BD&S's platform can accommodate multimedia formats such as complex images, dynamic visualizations, videos, and audio content. The contents of the journal encompass peer-reviewed research articles, colloquia, bookcasts, think pieces, state-of-the-art methods, and work by early career researchers.