Environmental aspects of media scenarios for the future ICT society

Abstract

During the past 50 years, the media channels, the media consumptionpatterns and the entire influence of media in society have changeddramatically. Looking into the future, the pace of change is not likelyto decrease. In order to prepare for the future, it is important toincrease our understanding of the present, in particular with regards tothe environmental aspects of media consumption. In this study, I presentfour future scenarios related to media consumption trends and discussthese scenarios in relation to environmental aspects in the ICT society.I have tried to answer the following questions: What could be thecharacteristics of media consumption in different future scenarios? Whatparameters are central in future scenarios around media consumption,seen from an environmental perspective? How will changes in theseparameters affect the environmental aspects of media consumption? I havelimited the question to a Nordic context.A combination of different media theories, future studies methodologyand interview techniques have been used. Interviews and workshops wereconducted with media and environmental experts and with consumers. Theresult of the interviews with consumers shows that very few consumersconnect media consumption with environmental concerns. The majority ofthe interviewed persons considered printed media as more environmentallydamaging compared to electronic media, which was considered ``clean{''}.The environmental experts participating in this study considered themost central parameters in future scenarios of media consumption, seenfrom an environmental perspective, to be connected to electronicdevices, travel, transportation, energy use and waste. The environmentalaspects of these parameters depend not only on the amount of devices,travel, transportation, energy and waste, but also on the way thedevices are produced and used, how the travel and transportation aredone, what kind of energy is used, and how the waste is treated.The amount of environmental information available in society is yetanother important parameter in order to create a more environmentallysustainable future, and this is where the media could play an importantrole.