LOS IMAGINARIOS SOCIOTÉCNICOS DE LA POLÍTICA EDUCATIVA DIGITAL EN MÉXICO (2012-2022)

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of Mexican educational policies that address digital technologies and the issue of inequality using the concept of ‘sociotechnical imaginaries’ (Jasanoff & Kim, 2015). The corpus includes over 220 documents from 2012-2022, which corresponds to two governments (sexenios, six-year periods) that have seemingly contrasting political leanings and encompasses official materials and “grey literature” (periodicals and blogs). It was analyzed looking for problematizations and nodal points relevant to the imagination of sociotechnical futures using the software Infranodus and performing a close critical reading. The findings open some reflections on educational priorities related to digital technologies and inequality in both periods. Even if these governments have opposed political rhetorics, there are some shared assumptions: a direct association between digital technologies and economic growth, the rhetoric of the inevitability of technological change, and the promise of reducing inequalities with virtual education that will expand school enrolment. Among the divergent points, in the recent sexenio there is more talk about inequality, a discursive shift from digital skills towards digital cultures and notions that are supposed to overcome technocratic views. However, there are no references to Big Data or data colonialism, and digitalization is limited to improving people’s income and access to equipment and connectivity. The absence of guidelines and debates regarding the growth of algorithmic processes in education and digital governance raises questions about the potency of these policies to effectively guide educational practices amid contemporary challenges.