“[T]ransliteracy deliberately refuses to presuppose any kind of offline/online divide; indeed it posits a complete interpellation of one by the other within everyday life”
(Thomas et al., 2007)
Life in the ecotechnic age requires awareness of our “interconnectedness with life and all other beings”. We do our best to act responsibly, but we don’t yet know the implications of those actions for all of our connections (Angus et al., 2001).
In the UK, the Government’s plans for increasingly localised responsibility (DirectGov, 2010) echoes that seen in online environmental activism, individualisation of actions feel more achievable, within a person’s immediate control, rather than wider global concerns (Pickerill, 2003). We are told to “think global, act local”, but should we not find a balance in this as with everything else?
As much as our home gives us a sense of place, Pickerill (2003) suggests that online “cross-movement, cross-cultural” interaction can also lead to a change in an individual’s sense of identity. Environmental issues are equally important for those in developing countries (Dunlap & Mertig, 1995), people with a stronger connection to the traditional skills and knowledge that we in the West are in danger of losing. We have much to learn but more to remember.
While we are overconsuming the Earth’s resources, we are also overconsuming our own. We need to learn “better” not learn “more” – “authentic education... rooted in place and tradition” (Sterling, 2009).
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