Abstract
In the global history of the “Anthropocene,” human beings have increased their influence on the global environment, expanded their own sphere of existence with technological power as a tool of civilization, and have come to the present age as if extending their conceit of having gained dominion over that sphere into the future. However, on a macroscopic level, the extreme weather events that have struck humanity's sphere of existence are far beyond human comprehension and have resulted in numerous catastrophes.
Although the current situation has been recognized and has been occurring frequently as a local phenomenon rather than an imminent threat, it has changed its status from “inconvenient truth” to “imminent crisis” over the millennium. We are now confronted with two major crises: the frequent occurrence of abnormal global weather (global warming) and a new type of infectious disease (coronavirus pandemic). At this point in time, how do we accept these realities? The United Nations has set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a reference point for the issues that humanity needs to address, although the reality that we cannot even share is starkly evident. With these goals, we may also perceive and recognize the changes in our daily reality. With the development of information and communication technology, this will be achieved not only through data-based information, but also through the sharing with others of information obtained from the natural (physic-chemical) and social (human-caused) environments in our daily lives.
In this workshop, there were reports and discussions that helped to give a perspective of the local life sphere to social informatics that considers the social application of information and communication technology.
