Conceptualizations and articulations of ‘the future’ play a persistent and important role in discussions about technology adoption and the broader domain of sustainability transitions. The Sociology of Expectations, part of the transitions and science and technology studies literature, specifically focusses on the performative role that desirable expectations play in the development and marketing of a technology. In this paper we argue that these insights can be coupled with the performative role of undesirable futures, as outlined by Critical Security Studies. Based on a qualitative diffractive reading of these twin literatures we argue that the performativity around desired and undesired futures follows distinct yet complementary logics. Our reading highlights that a focus on expectations alone does not fully explain the initiation and success of a sustainable innovation, nor that a focus on undesired futures fully explains the acceptance of security claims. The paper exemplifies these insights with a reflection on electric vehicle development.

在有关技术采用和可持续发展过渡的广泛领域的讨论中，“未来”的概念化和清晰表达起着持久而重要的作用。期望社会学是过渡和科学技术研究文献的一部分，特别关注期望期望在技术开发和市场营销中的执行作用。在本文中，我们认为这些见识可以与关键安全研究所概述的不良期货的执行作用相结合。基于对这两个双生子文献的定性衍射分析，我们认为围绕期望和不期望的期货的表现遵循截然不同但互补的逻辑。我们的阅读突出显示，仅关注预期并不能完全说明可持续创新的启动和成功，也不能仅关注不希望的期货就可以充分说明接受安全声明的原因。本文以对电动汽车发展的反思来例证这些见解。