Emerging sustainable innovation networks and the print-on-paper sociotechnical regime

The sociotechnical system of print-on-paper for the dissemination of textual information prevails despite widespread concerns about its sustainability. Information technology has often been identified as one of the generic technologies that has the potential to address the unsustainability of the incumbent regime. Yet innovations such as the 'electronic book' - understood as a diversity of IT applications providing an alternative text display to printed paper - have remained marginal. According to sociotechnical transition theory the electronic book can be seen as a niche in relation to the print-on-paper regime. Based on a recently completed UK ESRC project we analyse this niche as an emergent innovation network. The electronic book is mapped as a sociotechnical network including organisations, users and technologies which often transgress a distinct niche regime divide. Patterns of niche-regime interaction are explored and assessed as to whether they represent a sociotechnical transition in progress. Social network analysis methods informed by network approaches to innovation theory are used to visually represent and analyse the niche. The analysis reveals different patterns of network formation of innovation journeys within the niche which offer markedly different durability potential. On the basis of this analysis the prospects for promoting sustainable innovation are discussed.