Contested visions of regional futures in Inland Norway: data storage, TikTok and the symbolic value of megaprojects

Abstract

Herein, we analyse the social and economic processes that led to the construction of a large data storage centre in Inland Norway. Starting from the theoretical foundation that narratives and symbolic value are important to the emergence of regional development paths—and on the basis that narratives, symbolic value and materiality are strongly interlinked—we argue that megaprojects can be symbols of imagined futures, as well as controversy, in regional development. We identify three main tensions related to the data centre construction: (i) technology and greening, (ii) geography and scale and (iii) the geopolitical situation. Using a path-tracing approach, document analysis and qualitative interviews, we show how megaprojects’ symbolic values vary depending on the positions and perspectives of the involved actors. Theoretically, we emphasise that symbolic value does not exist in a vacuum, but rather is shaped by the dialectic relations between intangible narratives and tangible elements.