Sustainable Software Engineering: What about Social Sustainability?

Abstract

As software is (h)eating the world, sustainability is becoming an increasingly critical issue under study and consideration within software engineering. However, the majority of efforts are concentrated on environmental and technical dimensions. So, what about social sustainability? At a time when the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive mandates businesses to report not just financial information but also sustainability data, comprehending the impacts of software on sustainability and its role in achieving greater sustainability has become exceedingly urgent and essential. Presently, research concerning social sustainability remains limited, and offering a comprehensive perspective on sustainability or a method of assessment for software practitioners or users remains a distant dream.Therefore, as a researcher with a background in environmental sustainability, I am interested in exploring the social dimension of sustainability, bridging the gap with the environmental dimension, and simultaneously evaluating the interplay between the two. Following a very brief introduction of my research background in sustainability, I will delve into the (lack of common) definition of social sustainability, provide a quick overview of the existing literature in this field, and propose potential directions for further investigation. My goal is to stimulate discussions on this subject and to receive insights regarding such a developing field.