To date, the study of hype has become a productive but also eclectic field of research. This introduction provides an overview of the core characteristics of technology hype and distinguishes it from other future-oriented concepts. Further, the authors present promising approaches from various disciplines for studying, critiquing, and dealing with hype. The special issue assembles case studies, methodological and theoretical contributions that analyze tech hypes’ temporality, agency, and institutional dynamics. It provides insights into how hypes are triggered and fostered, but also how they can be deconstructed and anticipated.

Special topic editors of this issue are Jascha Bareis (Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology & Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Germany), Maximilian Roßmann (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University (UM), Netherlands), and Frédérique Bordignon (Ecole des Ponts ParisTech & Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Sciences Innovations Sociétés lab, France).

Interview with Danielle Shanley on Responsible Innovation and Hype

The interview with Danielle Shanley, conducted by Maximilian Roß­mann, explores the origins of Responsi­ble Innovation (RI) and technology as­sessment in the 1960s, revealing early visions of collaboration and interdisciplinar­ity a decade before the Office of Technology Assessment was founded in the United States. Shanley highlights the significance of history in understanding hype and identify­ing with the intellectual movement despite its contested concepts and folk history. She suggests proactive engagement to ensure RI’s continuity beyond buzzwords.

Also in the current issue: research articles on Chatbots as an educational challenge for School and Teching, on the Mirke Neighbourhood Panel as well as conference reports, book reviews, and news from the TA community.