How media narratives, financial investments, and cultural forces determine which technologies capture our imagination and resources
Imagine a world where extinct species walk the earth again, where synthetic meat solves world hunger, and where your fitness tracker doesn't just monitor your health but predicts your future illnesses.
These aren't science fiction fantasies—they're real projects being developed in laboratories and tech companies right now. But why these particular technologies? Who decides which futuristic visions deserve funding, media attention, and ultimately, a chance to become part of our reality?
In her groundbreaking book, "Unreal Objects: Digital Materialities, Technoscientific Projects and Political Realities," Kate O'Riordan investigates these crucial questions, revealing that many emerging technologies achieve prominence not necessarily through pure scientific merit alone, but through powerful combinations of media narratives, celebrity endorsements, and substantial private investment 1 6 .
She calls these technologies 'unreal objects'—seemingly tangible innovations that are simultaneously concrete and speculative, existing both as actual developments and as utopian promises of what they might become.
Of emerging tech projects rely on media narratives for funding
More investment in "unreal objects" vs practical solutions
Of promised tech breakthroughs fail to deliver on time
At its core, the concept of 'unreal objects' challenges our conventional understanding of technological progress. We often imagine that innovations emerge through a logical process: scientific discovery leads to technological development, which then naturally produces beneficial products. O'Riordan's research suggests a more complicated reality.
Unreal objects are scientific projects and technologies that blend utopian visions for the future with actual investment and development in the present 1 8 . They appear solid and inevitable, yet their legitimacy and advancement depend heavily on factors outside pure science—including media coverage, public relations campaigns, and celebrity endorsements 6 . These external forces act as filters, determining which projects receive the attention and funding needed to develop beyond laboratory stages.
The 'unreal' quality of these objects lies in their dual nature. As O'Riordan explains, they are simultaneously material and speculative—they exist as actual prototypes or limited implementations while also functioning as powerful symbols of potential future worlds 1 5 . This duality gives them remarkable cultural power, allowing them to shape expectations and channel resources in specific directions, often while obscuring the political and economic interests behind their development.
Genomic projects represent a classic example of unreal objects in action. The Human Genome Project and subsequent genomic initiatives have been framed as revolutionary keys to understanding and ultimately controlling human health and evolution 1 4 .
The media spectacle surrounding these projects—complete with corporate announcements, scientific rivalries, and promises of medical breakthroughs—has been essential to securing the enormous funding required 4 6 .
Fitness trackers, smart watches, and other biosensors represent another category of unreal objects that have successfully integrated into daily life 1 . These devices materialize the promise of quantified self—the idea that continuous self-tracking will lead to optimized health and performance 4 .
Their promotion often relies on celebrity endorsements and media coverage that emphasize their transformative potential while downplaying privacy concerns 4 6 .
Perhaps the most strikingly 'unreal' of O'Riordan's examples are de-extinction projects and in vitro meat 1 5 . These technologies exist primarily as proof-of-concept prototypes with limited practical application, yet they generate substantial media attention and investment based on their promised future benefits 5 8 .
Both technologies function as powerful symbols of human technological mastery over nature 1 6 .
To understand how unreal objects operate in practice, let's examine the ENCODE project (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements), a major genomics initiative that followed the Human Genome Project.
Researchers collected hundreds of cell types and tissue samples to ensure comprehensive coverage of different biological contexts.
Multiple high-throughput techniques were deployed simultaneously to identify protein-coding genes, regulatory regions, and DNA methylation patterns.
Computational biologists developed specialized algorithms to integrate diverse datasets into a coherent map of genomic function.
Selected findings were verified using traditional molecular biology techniques to ensure accuracy.
When ENCODE published its initial results in 2012, the project claimed that approximately 80% of the human genome had biochemical function—a striking contrast to the previously accepted figure that only 1-2% of the genome contained protein-coding genes 4 .
This finding was widely reported in scientific and popular media as revolutionary, seemingly overturning previous understanding of "junk DNA."
| ENCODE Claims | Critical Responses | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 80% of genome is "functional" | "Function" defined too broadly; most may be biochemical noise | Ongoing debate; definition of "function" refined |
| Revolutionary new understanding of genome | Overstated significance; builds on previous knowledge | Incremental advance rather than complete paradigm shift |
| Comprehensive mapping achieved | Coverage incomplete; many cell types not included | Recognition of project as important resource, not final word |
Analyzing unreal objects requires specialized conceptual tools that blend traditional scientific assessment with media analysis and political economy. Researchers in this field draw on several key approaches:
| Method | Function | Example Application |
|---|---|---|
| Feminist Technoscience Studies | Examines how power relations shape technological development 4 | Analyzing how gender norms influence wearable tech design |
| Media Discourse Analysis | Identifies patterns in how technologies are presented and framed 6 | Tracking promises and metaphors in genomic project announcements |
| Political Economy Analysis | Traces financial flows and economic interests behind technologies 1 | Mapping investment networks supporting de-extinction research |
| Speculative Ethnography | Studies emerging technologies while they're still in development | Observing laboratory cultures where in vitro meat is developed |
The toolkit also involves tracking what O'Riordan calls "digital materialities"—the ways digital technologies increasingly blend with material worlds 1 2 3 . This concept helps explain how something as seemingly intangible as a genomic database or algorithmic process can have profound physical consequences, from how land is managed to how bodies are treated medically.
The concept of unreal objects isn't just an academic curiosity—it has serious implications for how technological societies develop and prioritize resources. The dominance of certain unreal objects can steer attention and funding away from less glamorous but potentially more pressing social needs 1 6 .
When flashy technological promises capture the public imagination, they can inadvertently hide existing social issues, especially injustices and inequalities that lack similar promotional machinery 1 8 .
This dynamic creates what we might call "attention asymmetries" in technological development. Projects that can compellingly combine narrative appeal with potential for profit tend to receive disproportionate support, regardless of their actual social value or feasibility.
Furthermore, the discourse surrounding unreal objects tends to emphasize technological solutions to problems that are often social, political, or economic in nature. The promise of de-extinction technology, for instance, might indirectly suggest that we needn't worry as much about current extinctions since future technology could reverse them.