In our own lives, we’ve experienced the immense convenience and opportunities that the rapid advancements in digital technologies offer. At the same time, we’ve witnessed how these advances can perpetuate social inequalities and leave historically marginalized groups at a disadvantage. These contrasting experiences fueled our determination to explore and address the effects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on life chances and the inequalities that often arise from them.

Our journey began as an X-Tutorial, a chance for students to pursue research by themselves, funded under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder by the Berlin University Alliance. The tutorial was based on a shared vision: to create educational tools that could help bridge the knowledge gaps surrounding ICT use and social inequality. Our tools are designed to promote critical reflection on digital positionality, thereby empowering people to navigate their digital lives with increased digital self-determination, and contribute to responsible, sustainable technological development and governance from the bottom up.

Our approach is rooted in and inspired by Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR). We believe in the power of collaboration, in listening to and understanding lived experiences, and in making the process of knowledge creation a collective endeavor. Our success is not measured solely by our own achievements but also by the transformation and empowerment of everyone involved in our project, including ourselves.

Our research journey began in October 2022, with a focus on exploring the theoretical foundations of digital positionality and reflecting on our personal experiences with ICT. In January 2023, we shifted our focus to understanding the digital positionalities of individuals from diverse and often underrepresented backgrounds in Berlin.

We conducted various activities, from using an electronic can phone developed by the Design Research Lab in Berlin to gather insights and questions about the digital sphere from about sixty individuals in different social milieus, a comprehensive focus group discussion with very diverse people in Berlin, to organizing creative workshops for digital natives at a community school in Berlin.

Through these experiences, we gained invaluable insights into how people perceive and interact with ICT. We discovered the influence of dominant discourses on technology, the tensions between convenience and critique, avoidance of critical reflection and the often unexamined digital dependence that shapes our lives.

Building on these insights and guided by principles derived from our first semester’s fieldwork, we have developed reflexivity tools throughout the year of 2023. These tools are designed to foster self-awareness and critical thinking. Our workshops, accompanied by a comprehensive guide, enable a profound reflection on your digital positionality. Our captivating comic, enriched with reflective questions, serves as a playful mirror to the intricate dimensions of digital life, empowering individuals to live with intention and awareness and to shape sustainable futures collectively. Complementing these resources are our Rules of Thumb—a set of ten guiding principles crafted to inspire and empower you as you navigate the complexities of the digital age.