Restoring my Relationship with The Internet (Part 2)
On my journey towards restoring my relationship with the Internet, I thought it would be smart to start with where the internet actually comes from: data centers.
What most of us understand as “the internet” isnt just a concept floating in this “cloud” of data, it has a physical body. Our data travels through cables and is stored in massive data centers, often hidden in the middle of nowhere.
If you ever heard of data centers then you have probably mostly heard about their negative effect on the planet. This was one of the biggest factors that made me really worry about the whole concept of the internet. I kept feeling the globe warming up everytime I searched something, especially when using AI.
But as everything that relates to the internet and other technical developments, it is important to accept the fact that they will not go away and understand that it is more productive to focus on how to improve them to be less harmful than to just fall into a spiral of criticism and negativity that ends with the problem and not a solution.
So, lets grasp this weeks digital phenomenon, data centers, and start with why there is such a negative connotation to them.
The Negative Effects of Data Centers
When we picture “the cloud”, we often imagine something weightless, floating around with all of our data, in an imaginitive realm we call “the internet”. But we forget that in reality, the cloud is made out of steel, wires and electricity. Companies like Google, Apple or Meta have all proudly shown off stylisch images of their data centers with endless rows of servers in a modern building in the middle of nature sometimes even with animals grazing next to the enormous warehouses. With that they give us the feeling of being transparent about where our data is stored and calm us with beautiful pictures connected with nature, making the centers look safe and green.
However, researchers Jennifer Holt and Pratrick Vonderau make it clear that this transparacy is a performance. What these images actually do is not show us inside the internet but they hide the realities of enormous energy demands, noise, overheating and an extensive amount of waste.
There is a very interesting artistic video essay Deep Down Tidal by Tabita Rezaire that I would love you guys to check out. It confronts exactly these data centers and the fact that they are very real material implemented in our earth. A very interesting point that the artist makes is that these data centers and their cables actually really resembles the routes of colonialisation. She confronts how the internet is still a product of hegemony and western oppression. The artist calls the domination of western data centers a “technological colonialisation”.
The Brighter Side
But before you (and me honestly) start panicking about the doom of data centers, the good news is that the very infrastructure of internet can actually change directions. And it happens more and more. Being sustainable is slowly turning into a crucial factor that such companies have to have, this means that more companies that run such data centers are embracing renewable energy. Concepts like circular economy thinking are actually becoming substancial and connected to data centers. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency points out that one of the easiest ways data centers can go green is buying clean energy, such as solar or wind power, through long term contracts like the Power Purchase Agreement, woking towards operating on 100% renewable energy. Which most of the big data centers like Apple and Google etc. are trying to do. This is all a win win situation, since reports have even shown that switiching to renewable energy can help data centers save money and make them more reliable. This is an extremely promising side because if you can connect big companies interest with the environmental interest, things can actually change, it always depends on the side that holds the power.
Another idea I really like and that is getting more attention is the local integration of data centers. This is basically the concept of making data centers more sustainable is by connecting them with the communities around them. The idea is that instead of building isolated data hubs in the middle of nowhere that only use up energy and release crazy amounts of heat, they can be designed to give back and actually be useful for civilization. For example, some centers already reuse the heat heir servers produce to warm nerby homes. So, instead of wasting these large amounts of energy, data centers can actually be a helpful part of a community and give back to people who are actually in need of that energy.
What You Can Do
To conclude, I want to think about how we can use this knowledge to see data centers not as a problem that will never go away, but as something we can help guide in the right direction.
Understanding where the internet really lives
The more people are aware that the internet is not just an abstract, complex electronic cloud floating around us, but that every message, stream or search goes through real wires and machines that need actual energy, the more attention this part of the internet will get. And with attention comes more demand for improvement. This might push more companies who were trying to hide their enormous ecological footprint to work towards more sustainable options.
Supporting sustainable companies
Make your research and find out which companies are really trying to be as sustainable as possible. You will be postively suprised! For example, what I would really suggest all of you to do is to use Ecosia as your main search engine. Ecosia plants a tree for every search and actively donates to climate actions. So you will be surporting the environment while just casually looking up whatever you like. Isn’t that amazing?
The goal isn’t to disconnect, but to reconnect in a less harmful way, to use the internet in a way that respects the planet and every community on it.
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