Online incivility is often treated as a behavioral deviation to be managed, minimized, or silenced through design. This paper argues instead for a more critically reflective stance, embracing Speculative Design as a tool not for eradicating incivility, but for understanding its complexity and preparing for its evolving future. Written in the context of an ongoing PhD research project, the paper explores how speculative approaches can surface the cultural, emotional, and political tensions embedded in digital discourse. Through a critical literature review and conceptual proposals, we introduce speculative artifacts that aim to bridge the gap between physical and digital spaces, making visible the affective consequences of online behavior. These proposals are not intended as solutions, but as provocations that prompt reflection and challenge normative assumptions about incivility. We also highlight the role of participatory speculation in enabling public discourse and collective imagination around the future of online interaction. Ultimately, the paper proposes a shift in how success is defined: not by the reduction of incivility, but by an increase in awareness, emotional literacy, and shared responsibility. It invites designers to create not for control, but for conscious engagement.

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Speculating Civility: A Critical Review of Speculative Design as a Tool to Prepare for the Future of Online Behavior

  • Rúben Duarte,
  • Maria João Antunes,
  • Catarina Lelis

摘要

Online incivility is often treated as a behavioral deviation to be managed, minimized, or silenced through design. This paper argues instead for a more critically reflective stance, embracing Speculative Design as a tool not for eradicating incivility, but for understanding its complexity and preparing for its evolving future. Written in the context of an ongoing PhD research project, the paper explores how speculative approaches can surface the cultural, emotional, and political tensions embedded in digital discourse. Through a critical literature review and conceptual proposals, we introduce speculative artifacts that aim to bridge the gap between physical and digital spaces, making visible the affective consequences of online behavior. These proposals are not intended as solutions, but as provocations that prompt reflection and challenge normative assumptions about incivility. We also highlight the role of participatory speculation in enabling public discourse and collective imagination around the future of online interaction. Ultimately, the paper proposes a shift in how success is defined: not by the reduction of incivility, but by an increase in awareness, emotional literacy, and shared responsibility. It invites designers to create not for control, but for conscious engagement.