Guidelines for a Sustainable Internet

We have developed technological wonders Devices full with sensors and computing power the size of our hand

So, what do we do with them?

Now a bigger one is coming, think of the possibilities.

TECHNOLOGIES ARE TOOLS THEY PROVIDE AFFORDANCES WE USE THEM FOR GOOD OR EVIL (but they do not care)

JORGE ZAPICO computer science + sustainable development KTH / CSC / Media / Industrial Ecology Centre for Sustainable Communications http://sustainablecommunications.org zapico@kth.se http://jorgezapico.com

GUIDELINES FOR A SUSTAINABLE INTERNET trends and dangers in the use of internet for a sustainable future

EVEN IF THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS MOST OF INTERNET IS NOT VERY SUSTAINABLE RIGHT NOW

We want internet to be sustainable for these guys

WE: DESIGNERS DEVELOPERS MEDIA RESEARCHERS USERS CAN MAKE THE FUTURE INTERNET MORE SUSTAINABLE DEPENDING IN OUR CHOICES OF WHAT TO CREATE AND USE

disclaimer I AM GOING TO BE NORMATIVE Meaning that I’m putting my personal values into the deﬁnition of sustainability. I include soft values as happiness, stress free, social contacts..

TEN GUIDELINES

one MAKE IT GREEN MAKE IT GREEN

Electronics are full with different components, valuable and some of them toxic.

But then we throw them away quite fast. A laptop mean life is 3 years.

For a mobile phone just 18 months.

So we generate a lot of waste.

And this waste ends many times in not so optimal conditions, having negative impacts in the environment and on people’s health.

Internet has impacts through different phases (hardware production, electricity consumption, waste...) and much of it is hidden from the users. HTTP://GREENALYTICS.ORG

We forget that this kind of rooms are powering the websites we are looking at.

MAKE IT GREEN HAVE A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE REDUCE THE NEED FOR USER RESOURCES: THE CLOUD DON’T DESIGN FOR THE EDGE USERS THINK ABOUT WHERE AND WHICH TYPE OF SERVERS DO YOU USE GO MOBILE

two USE IT FOR GOOD USE IT FOR GOOD

As for horizontal microcredits

Or promoting biking

Or ensuring human rights

Helping people to not choose ﬁsh that are endangered HTTP://FISK.CC

Or understanding the carbon footprint of products. HTTP://CARBON.TO

USE IT FOR GOOD MAKE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE POSITIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THAT REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION: OPTIMIZATION, DEMATERIALIZATION THAT INCREASE SOCIAL CAPITAL THAT EDUCATE THAT COMMUNICATE SUSTAINABILITY

three THINK GLOBAL THINK GLOBAL

These guys are the future internet

Most internet users in the future will be outside the high income countries

Much of it will be mobile

THINK GLOBAL ÄR INTE EL ÙNICO IDIOMA DANS LE MONDE DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DIFFERENT NEEDS, DIFFERENT DEVICES ACCESSIBLE DESIGN

four ACT LOCAL ACT LOCAL

Using virtual communities to get to know your neighbors

ACT LOCAL CREATE COMMUNITY EMPOWER HUMAN CONTACT, DO NOT SUBSITUTE IT ADAPT TO LOCAL CHARACTERISTICS

ﬁve REAL ECONOMY REAL ECONOMY

When using free things, you are giving up something, you’re giving them power

For instance your personal information to be used in marketing.

In internet we got used to not pay for stuff, free was the only alternative as industry was scared to use the new media.

THE PAYING WAVE APPLE APP STORE ITUNES SPOTIFY FLICKR VODDLER AMAZON KINDLE BASECAMP …

REAL ECONOMY FREE IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD MOVING AWAY FROM AN AD BASED INTERNET IF SOMETHING IS VALUABLE, LET’S PAY FOR IT

six DON’T WASTE TIME DON’T WASTE TIME

Email bankruptcy

COMPUTER SHOULD SAVE OUR TIME THEY MAKE THINGS EASIER REBOUND EFFECT: WE DO MORE WE WORK MORE, WE CONSUME MORE, WE PRODUCE MORE WE HAVE MORE CHOICES WE STRESS MORE WE HAVE LESS TIME FAIL.

DON’T WASTE TIME DO NOT FORGET THAT USERS TIME IS VALUABLE REDUCE STRESS, DO NOT GENERATE MORE DESIGN FOR USABILITY, MINIMIZE TECHNOSTRESS

seven SLOW DOWN SLOW DOWN

Information overﬂow Social contact overﬂow

SLOW DOWN RETHINK THE REAL TIME INTERNET AVOID OVERFLOW STRESS SLOW MEDIA DECREASE QUANTITY, INCREASE QUALITY

eight SHARE

Using creative commons for buildings: open source architecture

SHARE RELEASE TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS AS OPEN SOURCE PUBLISH DATA AND MEDIA IN CREATIVE COMMONS DEVELOP USING OPEN SOURCE STANDARDS EXPORT THOSE IDEAS TO OTHER CONTEXTS

nine DONT DO EVIL DON’T USE IT FOR EVIL

Internet can be used for promoting huge cars

Or it can hide impacts, as for instance getting a product from the other end of the world

Or it can make ﬂights cheap so we can travel more (for good or bad)

DON’T USE IT FOR EVIL AVOID DEVELOPING APPLICATIONS THAT PROMOTE UNSUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOR

ten PARTICIPATE

SUSTAINABLE INTERNET .org Go here and help us with your input to improve the guidelines!

1. MAKE IT GREEN 2. USE IT FOR GOOD 3. THINK GLOBAL 4. ACT LOCAL 5. REAL ECONOMY 6. DON’T WASTE TIME 7. SLOW DOWN 8. DON’T USE IT FOR EVIL 9. SHARE 10. PARTICIPATE ALL OF THEM

TECHNOLOGIES ARE TOOLS WE AS DESIGNERS / DEVELOPERS / MEDIA GURUS HAVE THE POWER OF AFFECTING WHAT TO MAKE WITH THEM LET’S MAKE SOMETHING POSITIVE

JORGE ZAPICO ZAPICO@KTH.SE HTTP:// JORGEZAPICO.COM @ZAPICO PRESENTATION AT HTTP://SLIDESHARE.NET/ZAPICO

http://www.slow-media.net	166
http://itsagreenmobileworld.com	56
http://www.sustainableinternet.org	53
http://www.itgoesgreen.org	29
http://www.zoes.it	14
http://www.slideshare.net	6
http://dailygreennews.co.uk	1

Guidelines for a Sustainable Internet

by Jorge Zapico on Feb 04, 2010

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Guidelines for a Sustainable Internet — Presentation Transcript