This review uncovers technological innovations supporting degrowth initiatives, highlighting their potential for systemic change in communities.
This review focuses on technological infrastructure to support small-scale groups immersed in the development of local post-growth systems. It is inspired by two premises: first, that such countercultures - from ecovillages to maker collectives - are uniquely positioned to pioneer systemic change; and second, that the tools available to these groups have been upgraded since the onset of networked computers. Therefore, this article scopes literature on network-enabled innovations associated with three post-growth terms to distinguish digital tools that can operationally strengthen countercultures. The findings reveal a tentative toolbox corresponding to four functions of supporting technological infrastructure: collaborative Commons, assisted Administration, peer Production, and egalitarian Economy (CAPE), and five impact areas: Value, Autonomy, Collaboration, Trust, and Self-organization (VACTS). The analysis frames a conscious selection of technology as infrastructure that can strengthen countercultures both as entities and as a movement - transcending local marginalization and supporting locally rooted as well as globally connected alternative futures.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Isacson et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: