UNDERSTAND
Responsible Digital Transition
The Anthropocene: Placing Digital Technology in its Global Context
Our use of digital technology is part of the broader context of the Anthropocene—a geological epoch proposed by chemist Paul J. Crutzen and biologist Eugene F. Stoermer in the early 2000s to designate the period in which human activities have become a major force transforming the planet.
From this perspective, the impacts of digital technology extend beyond the mesoscopic scale of the company to reach a macroscopic dimension: that of global ecological and social balances.
Companies, as powerful economic and cultural players, therefore bear a major responsibility: to rethink their digital practices not only to improve their internal performance, but also to contribute to a sustainable transition on a global scale.
Technological Discernment
The concept of “technological discernment” highlights the importance of a thoughtful and measured approach to technological innovation. It involves systematically questioning the usefulness, impact, and necessity of each technology before its adoption, rather than succumbing to a frantic race for innovation for innovation’s sake.
A company’s choice regarding the use of digital technologies transcends purely economic considerations and becomes a societal and political choice that should be discussed. François Jarrige, a French historian, emphasizes that every technological choice is also a political choice, as each technology necessitates a reconfiguration of social relations while simultaneously organizing the flow of resources—from extraction to consumption. He criticizes techno-solutionism and insists on the need to open up technological choices to debate in order to build a more sustainable and socially just society.
Putting impacts into context
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