Introduction: New Media and the Imagination of the Future

Predictions and forecasts around the future of digital media are usually presented as ‘innocent’ and unbiased. In contrast, "New Media and the Imagination of the Future" aims to examine predictions on digital media as cultural constructs that are embedded in political, social, cultural, and ideological frames. This introduction provides an overview of approaches and theoretical viewpoints to the relationship between media and the imagination of the future. It discusses the contribution of historical perspectives and illuminates the centrality of digital and mobile media in contemporary visions of the future and media predictions.