Coding the Future: Digital Technologists and the Constitution of the Next System

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Abstract

Digital technologists are coding the foundational structures of our shared future, embedding values and norms into the systems that increasingly govern economic, social, and political life. Among these technologists, digital commoners stand out as constitutional actors who leverage the transformative powers of digital technology—design, affordance, and sovereignty—to democratize technology, expand the digital commons, and build a Digital Commonwealth. This paper explores the work of digital commoners as they contest corporate and state dominance over digital infrastructures, creating alternative systems rooted in collective ownership, participatory governance, and equitable resource distribution. Through case studies of platform cooperatives, peer production systems, data sovereignty initiatives, and digital governance platforms, we analyze how these initiatives align with broader movements for social transformation. We argue that the Digital Commonwealth represents a new economic polity that reimagines the relationship between technology and democracy. Finally, we call for academic institutions, scholars, and activists to intervene and support digital commoning efforts, amplifying technologists’ capacity to code the future towards shared goals.

Authors

• Ben Manski, George Mason University

• Dhruv Deepak, George Mason University