Un rischio calcolato

Le ICT digitali e la trasformazione dello spazio umano

Abstract

Digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) have profoundly changed the structure of human societies. In this survey we have analyzed some of these transformations in order to highlight the challenge posed by these technologies to current and future human generations. More precisely, given that ICTs have become a crucial factor in economic growth, and that — due to their energy consumption, the use of material resources and waste generation — they risk accentuating the environmental problems emerged with the industrial era, their usage must be examined taking into consideration their advantages and dangers. However, an already uncertain evaluation is all the more complicated by a third element that interacts with the previous ones: by reshaping traditional production and consumption models, ICTs are able to contribute significantly to the reduction of polluting emissions from human activities. The survey aims to address the risks associated with the use of ICT and to underscore some problematic aspects of current management strategies.