Towards a political ecology of the digital economy: Socio-environmental implications of two competing value models

• Published in: Environmental innovation and societal transitions Vol. 18; pp. 82 - 100
• Main Authors: Kostakis, Vasilis, Roos, Andreas, Bauwens, Michel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Annan samhällsvetenskap; Digital economy; Earth and Related Environmental Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Environmental sustainability; Geovetenskap och relaterad miljövetenskap; ICT; Information Systems, Social aspects (including Human Aspects of ICT); Media and Communications; Medie-, kommunikations-, och informationsvetenskaper; Miljövetenskap; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap; Other Social Sciences; Peer-to-peer; Political ecology; Samhällsvetenskap; Social Sciences; Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik med samhällsvetenskaplig inriktning; Techno-economic paradigm shifts; Peer-to-peer; Techno-economic paradigm shifts; Environmental sustainability; ICT; Digital economy; Political ecology
• ISSN: 2210-4224; 2210-4232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2015.08.002

•The digital economy is an increasingly politicised arena with different outlooks for environmental sustainability.•Two value models are predominantly in competition for future supremacy in the digital economy.•Neo-feudal cognitive capitalism relies on new technological infrastructure but with the logic of profit maximisation.•The hypothetical case of mature peer production could form new socio-environmental relations around the commons. This article explores the socio-environmental implications of two different value models currently competing for dominance in the digital economy: the neo-feudal cognitive capitalism (NFCC) and the hypothetical case of mature peer production (HMPP). Using a systematisation that considers environmental effects of information and communication technologies as direct, indirect and structural, this article discerns the future socio-environmental scenarios indicative of each value model. We argue that the two value models share the same type of direct environmental effects associated with a similar technological infrastructure; however, their indirect effects differ in prospects of consumer behaviour, environmental awareness and product design. Likewise the difference in structural effects is significant as the NFCC is based on profit maximisation and an accumulation of capital, whereas the HMPP is agnostic to growth and oriented towards the commons. Hence, the latter is considered as the socio-environmentally auspicious choice, but comes not without transitional challenges of its own.