| Title |
Digital sustainability: basic conditions for sustainable digital artifacts and their ecosystems
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Sustainability Science, December 2016
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11625-016-0412-2 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Matthias Stuermer, Gabriel Abu-Tayeh, Thomas Myrach |
| Abstract |
The modern age has heralded a shift from the industrial society, in which natural resources are crucial input factors for the economy, towards a knowledge society. To date, sustainability literature has treated knowledge-and in particular digital artifacts-mainly as a means to the end of achieving sustainable development. In this conceptual paper, we argue that digital artifacts themselves ought also to be considered as resources, which also need to be sustainable. While over-consumption is a problem facing natural resources, with sustainable digital artifacts, underproduction, and underuse are the biggest challenges. In our view, the sustainability of digital artifacts improves their potential impact on sustainable development. A theoretical foundation for digital artifacts and their ecosystem allows us to present the relevant research on digital information, knowledge management, digital goods, and innovation literature. Based on these insights, we propose ten basic conditions for sustainable digital artifacts and their ecosystem to ensure that they provide the greatest possible benefit for sustainable development. We then apply those characteristics to four exemplary cases: Linux kernel development, Bitcoin cryptocurrency, the Wikipedia project, and the Linking Open Drug Data repositories. The paper concludes with a research agenda identifying topics for sustainability scholars and information systems academics, as well as practitioners. A number of suggestions for future studies on digital sustainability are also put forward. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 28 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 7 | 25% |
| Switzerland | 7 | 25% |
| Italy | 2 | 7% |
| Belgium | 1 | 4% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 4% |
| United States | 1 | 4% |
| Netherlands | 1 | 4% |
| Canada | 1 | 4% |
| Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | 1 | 4% |
| Other | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 6 | 21% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 20 | 71% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 4 | 14% |
| Scientists | 4 | 14% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 262 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 262 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 42 | 16% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 33 | 13% |
| Student > Bachelor | 24 | 9% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 20 | 8% |
| Researcher | 17 | 6% |
| Other | 39 | 15% |
| Unknown | 87 | 33% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Business, Management and Accounting | 63 | 24% |
| Computer Science | 36 | 14% |
| Social Sciences | 22 | 8% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 15 | 6% |
| Engineering | 8 | 3% |
| Other | 28 | 11% |
| Unknown | 90 | 34% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 36. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 27 January 2024.
All research outputs
#1,115,893
of 25,243,120 outputs
Outputs from Sustainability Science
#75
of 912 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#22,526
of 428,987 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Sustainability Science
#2
of 10 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,243,120 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 95th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 912 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 14.4. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 91% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 10 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than 8 of them.