Title: Enabling Technology-Mediated Transition to Post-growth Futures

Vishal Sharma

Ph.D. Student in Human–Centered Computing 

School of Interactive Computing 

Georgia Institute of Technology 

Date: 28th March, 2024

Time: 10:30–12:30 pm Eastern

In-person location: 

CODA C1215 Midtown 

756 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 

Virtual:

Zoom link: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/91553448538 
Meeting ID: 915 5344 8538 

Committee: 

Dr. Neha Kumar – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology 

Dr. Bonnie Nardi – Department of Informatics, School of Information and Computer Sciences, University of California Irvine

Dr. Ellen Zegura – School of Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology 

Dr. Rebecca E. Grinter – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology 

Dr. Shaowen Bardzell – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology 

Abstract: 

“The IT industry has linked itself strongly to this [growth] ethos, with some particular manifestations being the constant need for novelty, the accompanying throw-away culture around consumer electronics, and the glorification of disruption for its own sake. Yet growth that requires evermore material resources cannot continue forever in a finite world.” 

—Borning, Friedman, & Logler [1]

Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) notably relies on and significantly contributes to economic growth. For example, most advancements in user interactions, such as higher screen resolutions and smoother refresh rates, require powerful hardware that consumes additional energy and resources. User experience is crucial to the market success of digital technologies, acting as a key driver of their adoption and sustained usage, which drive the economic engine. However, as many scientists, activists, and policymakers note, unbridled economic growth leads to unsustainable development, exacerbating climate change, economic inequalities, social inequities, and other painful realities we confront today. Post-growth philosophy offers an alternative not rooted in growth but in improving the quality of life via radical shifts from growth to redistribution, production to reproduction and care, acquisition to sharing and community, and industrial development to development appropriate to local circumstances. This dissertation investigates the potential for integrating post-growth thinking into HCI.

To understand post-growth’s relevance and need in HCI, I begin with a scoping literature review mapping HCI's work on sustainability and development alongside an interview study with HCI researchers detailing the limits to growth within the field. Then, to investigate the design of digital technologies for post-growth, I discuss three case studies employing qualitative, ethnographic, and participatory research methods, noting the manifestations of post-growth sensibilities under the growth economy and the implications of digitally cultivating such sensibilities to alter the economy from within. Building on the insights from these studies, I then offer recommendations for orienting HCI research, design, and practice toward post-growth. Finally, to operationalize these suggestions, I propose a study with HCI professionals to understand the challenges of embracing post-growth in HCI. This study uses speculative design and qualitative research methods to co-reflect the challenges and co-devise ways to address them by transforming HCI practices towards technology-mediated change to more sustainable and just futures.

1. Borning, A., Friedman, B., & Logler, N. (2020). The'invisible'materiality of information technology. Communications of the ACM, 63(6), 57-64.