Globital memory capital : theorizing digital memory economies

This chapter on globital memory economies develops our own original analytical framework for understanding digital and unevenly globalised memory economies. We use this framework to define and ‘see’ the uneven mnemonic economy of our digital devices beyond the screen, the hidden digital infrastructures required of them as well as the ethical imperatives of this economy in terms of addressing the uneven environmental impact on the planet. The aim of the chapter is to provide researchers and students with a conceptual and analytical overview that they can then apply in more detail to a wider range of case studies and empirical examples. In this way, we hope to contribute to a critical rethink of the commercial and public sector rhetoric surrounding digital media – including the associated digital-global memory this media creates – as essentially cheap, green, clean and abundant.