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Purer than pure: a 'new' method to explore the upstream materiality of digitalisation

The "Matérialités du numérique" working group welcomes Gauthier Roussilhe, a doctoral student at RMIT and scientific advisor at Hubblo, for a presentation entitled "Purer than pure: a “new” method to explore the upstream materiality of digitalisation".

Event, Research Seminar

Salle K.011, 1 place Saint Thomas d'Aquin 75007 Paris

Abstract

Much attention has been paid in recent years to the environmental footprint of the digital sector. At the heart of this sector, the semiconductor manufacturing industry is only just beginning to be subject to wider environmental scrutiny, despite the pollution that has been documented for many years. Environmental analysis generally begins with the extraction of raw materials, and the issue of metal demand in the digital sector has been little documented, but the latter is often accused of accelerating the development of the mining sector and its footprint. It is undeniable that the digital sector would not exist without the production of the mining sector, but its mineral demand seems at first sight to be quite low. So is it really at the extraction level that the digital sector's material footprint is the most significant or, more importantly, is the mine the best place to understand this materiality? This conference will offer a new way of exploring the upstream value chains of the digital sector much more precisely and quickly.

Biography

The “Matérialités du numérique” working group of the Centre Internet & Société (CNRS) is dedicated to promoting multidisciplinary exchanges. It aims to integrate the perspectives of the humanities and social sciences - including sociology, anthropology, history, geography and political science - with those of fields such as computer science, chemistry, physics, geology, electronics and materials science and engineering.

The aim of this approach is to develop an in-depth understanding of the materialities of the digital world. The group also aims to open up the dialogue to a variety of audiences, including activists, artists, industrialists, elected representatives, workers and journalists, in order to enrich the discussions around these multidimensional issues.

Practical information

This seminar will take place on Wednesday, Mai 21th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, both online (Zoom) and in person (room K.011, 1 Place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, 75007).

Registration is mandatory.