We are facing a technoscientific crisis of responsibility. Emerging technologies like AI, virtual reality, brain-computer interfaces, and synthetic biology are immensely powerful and pose enormous risks. The recent turn to justice in technology ethics has called for society’s right to refuse certain technologies (e.g., facial recognition surveillance and autonomous weapons). However, engineers and innovators don’t like being told, “no”. Why is this the case and what does it say for our ability to stop harmful innovations if those developing new technologies have trouble letting go of their beloved objects? This presentation explores the affective psychosocial relationships between engineers and their technologies and how they manage uncomfortable feelings when being asked to consider stopping an innovation. It draws from research conducted with university and industry engineers developing novel “touchless” haptic technologies for autonomous vehicles. 25 engineers and researchers were asked to respond to prompts and write a fictional scenario set in the near future with specific instructions to try to imagine risks and harms associated with the technology. I conducted follow-up interviews with 13 engineers to learn more about how they felt reflecting on harm and risk. The presentation draws from psychoanalytic psychosocial studies (Kleinian tradition) to explore the uncomfortable feelings that arise when innovators are asked to confront risks and harms associated with their work - frustration, guilt, envy, empathy, anxiety – and how the discomfort brought about by these emotional conflicts is defended against at different levels – individual, group, and institution. It will also consider what scope there is for responsible innovation and the governance of emerging technologies in the context of this defendedness. Is it possible to say “no” to people who are emotionally invested in the birth and realisation of their innovations? Conference relevance - Coping mechanisms and resilience (in context of technoscientific responsibility).

In this discussion, we will delve into the internal world of individuals with schizoid personality traits as they navigate the social media landscape. By using prominent psychoanalytic theories and observing schizoid dynamics in the context of social media, we aim to unveil the complexities of this hidden, semi-anonymous world.

Individuals with schizoid personality often struggle to establish and maintain meaningful relationships due to deep-seated insecurities rooted in early experiences of frustration and disappointment. Social media provides a platform for these individuals to seek connections with others, yet these digital relationships are often fragile and easily broken. Our inquiry will focus on the emotional dynamics underpinning these online interactions and the role social media plays in shaping them.

Despite their interpersonal challenges, individuals with schizoid personality possess a remarkable capacity for psychological insight. This intriguing juxtaposition serves as the foundation for further research and clinical interventions and continues to influence contemporary psychoanalytic and psychosocial discourse.

We argue that social media presents a double-edged sword for individuals in the schizoid state. On one hand, it offers hope for meaningful connections; on the other, it can lead to sudden disconnections and vulnerability, mirroring the paranoid-schizoid position. this is kind of crisis which the conference theme layed on .This paper aims to shed light on the enigmatic inner world of schizoid personalities as they interact with the digital realm, fostering a deeper understanding of their unique experiences and struggles.

This paper will examine the migration of the antisemitic hashtag, #JewGoal, from the FIFA video game series to online discussions of real-world football. By analysing 1,364 public tweets of the ‘Jew goal’ hashtag on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), it details how this seemingly innocuous hashtag, originating in the FIFA video game community, has become a vehicle for antisemitic rhetoric, drawing upon historical stereotypes and cultural symbols. Focusing on the hashtag’s deployment across diverse contexts—including commentary on individual players, team performances, and football rivalries—while also highlighting the normalization of antisemitic language within online communities, the paper draws from Lacanian theory in order to investigate the enjoyment and motivations underpinning the perpetuation of online antisemitism. Utilizing Lacan’s concepts of jouissance and llanguage, it is argued that the hashtag’s prevalence stems from an inherent enjoyment in its application across various antisemitic tropes, regardless of contextual relevance. This enjoyment, linked to the formation of in-group identity and online othering within gaming and football fan cultures, underscores the hashtag’s function as a marker of belonging, fostering a sense of community through shared knowledge of the term’s offensive origins. Challenging traditional approaches to understanding and addressing online hate speech, and moving beyond content-based analyses to emphasize the affective and unconscious dimensions of online communication, the paper reveals how the enjoyment underpinning the hashtag’s adoption can advocate for a deeper consideration of the libidinal investments driving the perpetuation of antisemitism in digital spaces. In the context of rising political polarization and the growing influence of far-Right ideologies, the paper situates the hashtag within a broader psychosocial landscape marked by crisis, highlighting its role in exacerbating social divisions and perpetuating digital violence.

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly reshaped experiences of grief and loss, with traditional mourning practices severely disrupted. Restrictions on physical gatherings meant that many were unable to say goodbye in person, share moments of comfort, or take part in long-standing funeral customs. This disconnection made it harder to achieve closure, deepening feelings of isolation and emotional distress. The widespread struggle to mourn in conventional ways highlighted the fundamental need for connection and ritual, leading people to explore alternative, often digital, means of expressing and processing their grief.

Freud’s (1917) differentiation between mourning and melancholia provides valuable insight into the psychological difficulties experienced during this time. Mourning is an active process of recognising and coming to terms with loss, whereas melancholia occurs when grief is internalised and unresolved. With communal mourning spaces no longer accessible, many found themselves turning to virtual alternatives, yet these digital substitutions could not always fully replace in-person rituals. The shift towards online memorialisation underscored the growing role of media and technology in shaping how grief is experienced and expressed.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) became an unexpected space for mourning and remembrance. As an interactive digital platform, the game provided players with the ability to construct personalised memorials, engage in symbolic acts of remembrance, and create virtual spaces that mirrored real-world mourning rituals. The game’s open-ended design and customisation features align with Winnicott’s (1971) theories on play as a means of emotional processing, offering a safe and creative environment for individuals to navigate loss.

Through an analysis of how participants in this study used ACNH’s island-building tools to establish digital memorials, this research demonstrates how technology can mediate modern grief. By engaging with these virtual spaces, players found ways to maintain agency over their mourning process and recreate a sense of ritual in a digitally mediated setting.