Description:

It is increasingly argued that we are approaching the point of ‘peak digital’, with the continued mass production and excessive consumption of digital technologies set to become a key driver of climate crisis, ecological breakdown and ongoing societal instability. In this talk, Neil Selwyn explores how degrowth thinking and alternate forms of ‘radically sustainable computing’ might support ambitions of sustainable, scaled-down and equitable ways of living with digital technologies. Drawing on the latest thinking from across the social sciences, ecological economics, political ecology, environmental justice, and computer sciences, Neil argues that degrowth thinking offers a compelling basis from which to completely rethink our digital futures in these fast-changing times.

Neil Selwyn has been researching and writing about digital technology and education since the mid-1990s. He is currently a professor at Monash University, Melbourne. Recent books include: ‘Should Robots Replace Teachers? AI and the future of education‘ (Polity 2019), ‘Critical Data Literacies’ (MIT Press 2023, w/ Luci Pangrazio), and an upcoming book ‘Digital Degrowth: Radically Rethinking Our Digital Futures’ (Policy 2025).