Hype Is a System: How Tech Futures Get Made

Technology hypes shape what we talk about, which projects gets funded, and which futures appear desirable, from agentic AI to crypto and neurotechnology. The practices and implications of technological hypes have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, particularly due to their growing influence on innovation agendas and public discourses.

We ask:

How do technology hypes emerge and take effect through economic, media, social, political, technical, and cultural dynamics?

Drawing upon an extensive literature from Science and Technology Studies (STS), the sociology of expectations and innovation studies, we trace how tech hype spreads, gains momentum and starts shaping real-world decisions. We bring these perspectives together and take a systems view to see how these elements interact.

The result is an interdisciplinary way of understanding hype, useful for researchers, policy-makers, journalists, investors, founders, and practitioners navigating emerging technologies.