research-article

Refactoring society: systems complexity in an age of limits

Authors:

Barath Raghavan,

Daniel PargmanAuthors Info & Claims

LIMITS '16: Proceedings of the Second Workshop on Computing within Limits

Article No.: 2, Pages 1 - 7

https://doi.org/10.1145/2926676.2926677

Published: 08 June 2016 Publication History

Abstract

Research in sociology, anthropology, and organizational theory indicates that most societies readily create increasingly complex societal systems. Over long periods of time, accumulated societal complexity bears costs in excess of benefits, and leads to a societal decline. In this paper we attempt to answer a fundamental question: what is the appropriate response to excessive sociotechnical complexity? We argue that the process of refactoring, which is commonplace in computing, is ideally suited to our circumstances today in a global industrial society replete with complex sociotechnical systems. We further consider future directions for computing research and sustainability research with the aim to understand and help decrease sociotechnical complexity.

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Cited By

Widdicks KPargman DBjork SLamas DSarapuu HŠmorgun IBerget G(2020)Backfiring and favouring: how design processes in HCI lead to anti-patterns and repentant designersProceedings of the 11th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Shaping Experiences, Shaping Society10.1145/3419249.3420175(1-12)Online publication date: 25-Oct-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3419249.3420175
Pandey VGajos KGupta AChitchyan RSchien DMoreira ACombemale B(2020)From novices to co-pilotsProceedings of the 7th International Conference on ICT for Sustainability10.1145/3401335.3401814(294-304)Online publication date: 21-Jun-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3401335.3401814
Coroamă VPargman DChitchyan RSchien DMoreira ACombemale B(2020)Skill reboundProceedings of the 7th International Conference on ICT for Sustainability10.1145/3401335.3401362(213-219)Online publication date: 21-Jun-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3401335.3401362
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Refactoring society: systems complexity in an age of limits
1. Applied computing
  1. Law, social and behavioral sciences
2. Software and its engineering
  1. Software creation and management
    1. Software post-development issues

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Published In

cover image ACM Other conferences

LIMITS '16: Proceedings of the Second Workshop on Computing within Limits

June 2016

106 pages

ISBN:9781450342605

DOI:10.1145/2926676

General Chair:
Bonnie Nardi
UC Irvine
,
Program Chairs:
Barath Raghavan
ICSI
,
Daniel Pargman
KTH

Copyright © 2016 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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Published: 08 June 2016

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LIMITS '16

LIMITS '16: Workshop on Computing within Limits

June 8 - 10, 2016

California, Irvine

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Overall Acceptance Rate 11 of 17 submissions, 65%

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Cited By

Widdicks KPargman DBjork SLamas DSarapuu HŠmorgun IBerget G(2020)Backfiring and favouring: how design processes in HCI lead to anti-patterns and repentant designersProceedings of the 11th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Shaping Experiences, Shaping Society10.1145/3419249.3420175(1-12)Online publication date: 25-Oct-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3419249.3420175
Pandey VGajos KGupta AChitchyan RSchien DMoreira ACombemale B(2020)From novices to co-pilotsProceedings of the 7th International Conference on ICT for Sustainability10.1145/3401335.3401814(294-304)Online publication date: 21-Jun-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3401335.3401814
Coroamă VPargman DChitchyan RSchien DMoreira ACombemale B(2020)Skill reboundProceedings of the 7th International Conference on ICT for Sustainability10.1145/3401335.3401362(213-219)Online publication date: 21-Jun-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3401335.3401362
Dew KShorey SRosner DEasterbrook SNardi BChen J(2018)Making within limitsProceedings of the 2018 Workshop on Computing within Limits10.1145/3232617.3232626(1-11)Online publication date: 13-May-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3232617.3232626
Mann SBates OForsyth GOsborne PEasterbrook SNardi BChen J(2018)Regenerative computingProceedings of the 2018 Workshop on Computing within Limits10.1145/3232617.3232618(1-10)Online publication date: 13-May-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3232617.3232618
Pargman DWallsten BNardi BTomlinson B(2017)Resource Scarcity and Socially Just Internet Access over Time and SpaceProceedings of the 2017 Workshop on Computing Within Limits10.1145/3080556.3084083(29-36)Online publication date: 22-Jun-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3080556.3084083
Tomlinson BAubert BNardi BTomlinson B(2017)Information Systems in a Future of Decreased and Redistributed Global GrowthProceedings of the 2017 Workshop on Computing Within Limits10.1145/3080556.3080569(21-28)Online publication date: 22-Jun-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3080556.3080569
Ringenson TEriksson EBörjesson Rivera MWangel JNardi BTomlinson B(2017)The Limits of the Smart Sustainable CityProceedings of the 2017 Workshop on Computing Within Limits10.1145/3080556.3080559(3-9)Online publication date: 22-Jun-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3080556.3080559
Zaber MNardi BChen JNardi BTomlinson B(2017)A Study of Hashtag Activism for Raising Awareness about Riverbank Erosion in BangladeshProceedings of the 2017 Workshop on Computing Within Limits10.1145/3080556.3080557(51-58)Online publication date: 22-Jun-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3080556.3080557
Raghavan BPargman DMark GFussell SLampe Cschraefel mHourcade JAppert CWigdor D(2017)Means and Ends in Human-Computer InteractionProceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3025453.3025542(786-796)Online publication date: 2-May-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3025453.3025542

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