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Is Buying Digital Art Better For The Environment Than Physical Art?

 3 years ago
source link: https://digg.com/technology/link/is-buying-digital-art-better-for-the-environment-than-physical-art-hHrLhy9JMP
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Is Buying Digital Art Better For The Environment Than Physical Art?

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Though virtual art might seem like it takes less of a toll on the planet than physical art, it's consuming just as many resources. The answer? Use less internet.

The Lede

Energy consumption is a huge concern for the planet, and everything digital can be traced back to a physical component: digital services require data, which require internet, which requires networks, which require fiber optic cables, and so on. It's fair to say that there is no "virtual reality": it's all just reality. Kelly Widdicks, a researcher at Lancaster University in England, says the answer is to move away from connectivity. "People adapt to internet disconnection," she says.

Key Details

  • Though energy efficiency improves along with technology, energy consumption keeps rising. The internet of 1992 carried 100 GB of data per day, but today's iPhone carries over 150,000 GB of data per second.
  • The problem is a cultural one: we value constant growth, excess and novelty over stability and sufficiency.
  • One way to move away from connectivity is to design virtual reality accordingly — e.g., get rid of the autoplay feature on TV streaming services.

The Source


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