Digital sustainability and the human: A posthumanist approach

Authors

  • Jeonghyun Lee United Nations University Institute in Macau

Abstract

In the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), humans and technology are binary subjects; one determines the other. Technology is treated as either an enabler of economic growth, efficient business and social innovation, or a disabler of human dignity, human employment, and human freedom. In this binary understanding of humans and technology, ironically, humans face the most significant risk in digital transformation. Choosing technology or humanity does not support a sustainable future. This paper explores the theoretical understanding of the human and technology in a posthumanist approach to defining digital sustainability. By examining the human and technology concept in the posthumanist approach, this paper envisions human subjects in relational surroundings, including the digital, providing ways of sustainable living through co-constitutive entanglements with emerging technologies.

Author Biography

Jeonghyun Lee, United Nations University Institute in Macau

ICTD Fellow at the United Nations University Institute in Macau

Downloads

Published

2021-11-04

How to Cite

Lee, J. (2021). Digital sustainability and the human: A posthumanist approach. First Monday, 26(11). Retrieved from https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/12358