Computation, Materiality, and the Global Environment

The point of this series on the global life cycle of computer technology was not to be negative or alarmist, but to make an important point about the material underpinnings of the modern information society. There has been some popular attention paid to the material life of information technology. The history of computing has a long and admirable traditional of dealing with both the material and intellectual elements of information technology. But in turning its attention to the larger systems of material production and distribution essential to (and enabled) by computer technology, we can further expand the scope of our discipline, addressing issues concern to the entire global community.