Digital Amnesia and the Demise of a Learning Community

Abstract

Through presentation of a personal account of the emergence of Education Network Australia (EdNA) in 1995 through to its eventual demise some 15 years later this article uses narrative inquiry to reflect upon a number of critical issues regarding the sustainability of learning communities and of the digital infrastructure that is developed to support them. ‘Digital amnesia’ is introduced as a construct to describe practices that ultimately led to the disappearance of digital content and services associated with Internet domains associated with EdNA – and hence the learning community associated with it. EdNA’s demise is described as in terms of squandering social and community capital. The formation of a new entity and services intended to fill the service vacuum has shown little evidence of a sustainable approach or an understanding of the affordances of digital technology, particularly with regards to information stewardship. A number of lingering questions are teased out from the narrative and together represent a challenge for further inquiry.