Definition
In this context, the concept of 'sustainability' can broadly be defined as a concern with how an online space can exist over a prolonged period of time. However, approaches to this question can be broken down into two discrete areas:
- The production of digital, online systems that cause minimal damage to the environment (predominately through reduced computation) – here we might think of a 'prolonged period of time' as 100's or 1000's of years.
- The efficiency with which an online space can stay 'up to date' (with either content or software) – in this case, over a number of months or years.
Essentially, we want to be able to create systems that are effective and efficient at presenting content online; both for the planet (through 'green' solutions) and interpersonally (through reduced workloads).