The Challenges of Digitalization at Unije Island

Résumé fourni par la source

Digitalization and the introduction of new technologies into the everyday lives of islanders is a much bigger challenge than typically implied. The problems are numerous, from insufficient education and “not in my backyard” syndrome to a variety of different external obstacles as well as fixed action and behavioural patterns that make it harder to accept new ideas or initiatives. It is very often a mistake to take a “helicopter” approach to project implementation, where solutions are introduced without more thorough awareness-raising and education of the population, and this creates problems in the context of achieving longer-term sustainability. The example of the Croatian Island of Unije demonstrated in the context of the ongoing H2020 INSULAE project, dedicated to the introduction of innovative energy approaches and technologies on EU islands, clearly depicts what challenges the project team faced and how they approached them in order to reach the project objectives. The problem of technology and digitalization acceptance is common, however, to other small island communities. This paper presents practical experiences from the first phase of the Insulae project gained in interaction with the residents of the Unije and provides expert recommendations for a new approach to the digitalization of islands and calls for a more integrated management of island digital transition.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.