Information Technology Sustainability: Understanding the Linkages

Sustainability has increasingly become important to societies in various aspects of business, research and practice. It is as a result of rapid depletion of natural resources and concerns over wealth disparity and corporate social responsibility. In this context, the relation between information technology and sustainability is a subject of controversy by the media and by decision makers in business and politics, as IT is being considered to be a green technology and in relation with issues of energy and environment. Th e transition to a global information society holds many opportunities for sustainable development. Although various studies have proven the influence of IT, there is not a clear framework describing the linkages between IT and sustainability. Th erefore the paper aims to clarify the role of IT in sustainable development by dividing the linkages into positive and negative sides. It is concluded that IT has positive effects in environmental, economic and social aspects while there are detrimental effects in informational, environmental and economic sides related to sustainability.