On Serendipity in Digital Futures

Abstract

This paper draws attention to and speculates about the concept of serendipity in digital futures. By using a science fiction movie - I’m Your Man – we are looking into a future where humans might date humanoid robots and explore the plasticity of the concept of serendipity in an attempt to make sense of its moving from an originally genuine human concept to a concept comprising its digital imitation, digital serendipity. Going beyond a dystopian critique of digital serendipity as our contribution, we argue for, and present, a way to fathom serendipity in the world we (will) live in. A future that critically assesses and balances digital serendipity between on one hand demonizing the digital, imposing immense restrictions on human creativity, and negatively impacting human flourishing, and on the other side exalting and celebrating the digital for providing unexpected and unlimited possibilities for prospering.