Thomas, Vanessa and Hohnekamp-Bruggemann, Manu and Feldman, David (2015) I am more than the sum of my parts:an e-waste design fiction. In: EnviroInfo and ICT for Sustainability 2015. Atlantis Press, GBR, pp. 57-65.
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Abstract
This paper is a direct response to recent calls for sustainable technology researchers to use design fiction in their work. It seeks to explore the question: can design fiction be a useful technique for provoking conversations about today’s complex global e-waste ecosystem? To address that question, the paper begins by presenting an e-waste design fiction in the form of a letter from a fictionally self-aware personal laptop computer to its owner. The letter explores ethical, social, environmental and legal issues related to e-waste, and attempts to provoke readers to reconsider their relationships with electronics. Following the letter, there is a discussion about the research context for this work, initial reactions to it, and some insights that may be used to in future research. The paper’s novelty stems from its use of a literary e-waste design fiction to provoke conversation, as well as its discussion about design fiction’s appropriateness for e-waste research.