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Table 4 Ingredients of produced futures studies

From: The future as aesthetic experience: imagination and engagement in future studies

Ingredient

Mode of prediction

Mechanical

Aesthetical

Narrative

Connection to the future with plot, script, protagonist

A successful narrative aligns with already existing storylines

Identification with the narrative may shock

Symbol

Shared value and preferred direction

A symbol summarises well-known positions

Symbols question values

Graph

Connecting past, present and future (by extrapolation)

An extrapolation is the continuation of a line, that is, a one-dimensional entity

A graph may lead to unexpected corners

Image

Images represent warnings or desirability

Circulating images readily become clichés of themselves

Images may bring novel, surprising perspectives