Humanising digital life: Reducing emissions while enhancing value-adding human processes

Peter Trkman and Matej Černe

International Journal of Information Management, 2022, vol. 63, issue C

Abstract: Carbon emissions are on the rise and threaten to change the way humans live. Information technology can contribute to reducing such emissions by either virtualising or eliminating some human activities. However, without a proper understanding of humans’ value proposition and processes, such developments might not lead to behaviour that is more environmentally friendly. Thus, for digitalisation to reduce humans’ climate impact while maintaining or even improving the quality of human life, the value-adding aspect needs to be maintained. The core challenge lies in redesigning human processes, especially those related to work, so that environmentally harmful activities are eliminated while maintaining humans’ fundamental value proposition. The paper discusses a vision of the future involving a shift from digitalisation to human digitalisation, and it addresses the importance of the leading role of government and research institutions in this development. In addition, the paper identifies future research avenues such as the need to focus on redefining human processes, virtual experiences, ethics and the important shift in information systems education.

Keywords: Carbon emissions; COP26; Human processes; Humanising digital life; Value proposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ininma:v:63:y:2022:i:c:s0268401221001365

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102443

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