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Digital sustainability: basic conditions for sustainable digital artifacts and their ecosystems
Matthias Stuermer1, Gabriel Abu-Tayeh1, Thomas Myrach1
1University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Sustainability Science
|September 4, 2018
Summary
Digital artifacts are resources requiring sustainability, not just tools for sustainable development. Addressing underproduction and underuse enhances their positive impact on global sustainability goals.
Area of Science:
- Information Systems
- Sustainability Science
- Digital Economy
Background:
- The shift towards a knowledge society redefines resource importance beyond traditional natural resources.
- Existing sustainability literature primarily views digital artifacts as means to sustainable development, not as resources themselves.
- Over-consumption challenges natural resources, while digital artifacts face underproduction and underuse.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conceptualize digital artifacts as sustainable resources.
- To explore the challenges of underproduction and underuse in digital artifact sustainability.
- To propose conditions for enhancing the positive impact of digital artifacts on sustainable development.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis integrating knowledge management, digital goods, and innovation literature.
- Development of a theoretical foundation for digital artifacts and their ecosystem.
- Proposal of ten basic conditions for sustainable digital artifacts and their ecosystem.
Main Results:
- Digital artifacts should be viewed as resources necessitating sustainability.
- Underproduction and underuse are key challenges for digital artifact sustainability.
- Ten conditions are proposed to maximize the benefits of digital artifacts for sustainable development.
- Case studies (Linux, Bitcoin, Wikipedia, LOD) illustrate the application of these conditions.
Conclusions:
- Sustainable digital artifacts are crucial for achieving broader sustainable development goals.
- Further research is needed in digital sustainability, information systems, and related fields.
- Practitioners and academics should consider the proposed conditions for developing sustainable digital artifacts.
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