digital ecologies
digital ecology
digital Ecology is s field that examines the relationships among digital infrastructures, human behaviours, and environmental systems. it treats digital technologies as ecological agents that consume, exchange, evolve, and affect both our social and natural worlds.
the interconnectivity between digital technology/media and the natural environment is something we have become very adept at ignoring. the environmental footprint of our digital lives is something that is hard to comprehend. from e-waste to carbon emissions, we tend to ignore the damaging effects of our consumer and digital habits in favour of the conveniences they provide.
cconversely, instead of burying our heads in the warm sands of convenience, we need to focus more on digital ecology. from power-hungry and thirsty data centres, planned obsolescence, the enshittification of everything ... we are digging ourselves holes quicker than ever before. so how can we draw attention to environmental degradation caused by our technological and digital addictions without scaring people away from looking at and/or discussing this serious topic? how can we inspire the next generation of digital ecologists?
exploring beneficial alternatives to the status quo
perhaps we are driving this thing (progress) well beyond the speed limit, hoping we don't crash on some blind corner we can't see ahead. instead of obsessing over getting there quicker, we should probably slow down. not only does this apply to the means of production, but how we consume. don't be so quick to buy the newest gadgets or even to buy into the newest, flashiest ideas. slow down, buy and adopt with caution. be sceptical!
we also need to encourage consumption habits that respect and empower recycling, repairing, reusing, and reducing. if we don't reduce our consumption habits, we are truly shooting ourselves in the foot. we can't buy into the concept that new is always better, as it certainly isn't always the case. Oftentimes, we can use what we have, or what is around us, and that is really good enough.
instead of bigger and better, we should emphasise a shift in mentality to the smaller the sweeter. the idea should be to move away from centralised everything to decentralisation. decentralisation benefits us by giving the consumer more control, transparency, security, and provides a better chance for them to have direct input on technological development and use. technological centralisation has been a main driving force in the enshittification of our things. so let's push against monopolisation and the oligarchies of tech development.
echoing the first paragraph in this section, we need to emphasise the right to repair. anything we buy, we should own outright. we should be able to open, tinker with, and fix any technology or technological device we have purchased without exception. to further this, we need to push for open source (foss) development. to repair something, we will need vital information about its design to be able to carry this out effectively.
technoidiocracy
remember the film idiocracy? where garbage avalanches pose a great threat to society? instead of garbage mountains, we have effectively created garbageburgs. we have hidden our junk from plain site. our future societies risk crashing into it. we need clear and transparent means of dealing with this garbage and capitalism just isn't helping us.
we don't need to rub each other's noses into the messes we make; instead, we need to show through proof of concept that there is another way. for me, that means sharing my personal projects, my workspaces, and my workshop. show then tell; we can educate one another slowly out of this idiocratic nightmare we have created for ourselves.
garbage is fun!
i beg you, play with your garbage before deciding to purge yourself of it. see what other uses it may have. old phones, or computers, or whatever still have another life ... i promise! even if they become decorations or art, you are saving space in the ever-filling landfills and dumps.
technology in service of the environment
use your tech toys to monitor your garden, your roof, your home, whatever. build a mini-solar and hybrid wind-powered workshop, shed, or space in your home. buy rain barrels. use lineageos, calyxos, or grapheneos to bring life back to an old android device. research and buy as sustainably as possible. tech can be really fun when we find ways to improve the environment with it, and the playfulness of solving small environmental problems can also save us money (eg. solar + rainwater collection). so get diy and be playful, but also, it is important you get political!
the politics of digital ecology
we need to pressure governments (local and national), companies, and industry to write and practice environmental legislations that move beyond the greenwashed. moreover, the act of not discarding things through repairing or finding new uses for them is a political act. planned obsolescence and the enshittification of our things is a direct act of violence against the consumer. it is time we hit back and stop supporting companies that don't have our or the environment's best interests in mind. boycott and shop elsewhere.
not an end
this of course, is not an exhaustive list of solutions and ideas, nor is it a means to a particular end. it is a call to consider the digital ecology of our everyday lives and how our digital lives in particular affect they have on our environment. it is time we all become digital ecologists in the service of one another and our planet.