Ecology

For thousands of years, rice has been more than food. It has been culture, memory, and survival. In South Korea, a few farmers are bringing back native rice varieties lost to history. Their rainbow-colored fields tell a story of a future rooted in the past.

Let’s peel away the assumption we have long taken for granted—that “digital = eco-friendly.” We will trace the three layers that sustain the digital society: action (interfaces), infrastructure (data centers, energy generation, cooling water), and networks (terrestrial and submarine cables). Beneath these, we will examine the materiality of devices, the corporate power embedded in design, the profit structures of the data economy, and the points where institutions begin to collapse. Finally, we will reflect on the small but resilient practices and institutional shifts we can choose to pursue.