ABSTRACT
In order for digital culture to become a significant phenomenon, two key technical things had to happen to make the Net more user friendly. When British physicist Tim Berners-Lee invented the interface that he dubbed the World Wide Web in 1989, he had little idea he was creating the means for billions of people to communicate. Most of the rest of the workers who create the digital stuff wealthier folks love to consume face far different, considerably less pleasant work conditions. The technocultural history of the Internet is a fascinating one that offers a rich example of the interplay of conscious design, unpredicted consequences and ongoing human adaptations. Environmentalisms in general, and environmental justice efforts in particular, have a significant online presence. Mining for key minerals, and toxic assembly and disassembly processes, endanger the lives of workers, and toxic e-waste presents major health issues for people and the environment all around the globe.
