Doom scrolling and how endless news feeds impact the planet

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Forbes or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: “Doom scrolling,” the compulsive habit of endlessly refreshing news and social media feeds, significantly contributes to global carbon emissions
• Data centers powering these activities consume vast amounts of electricity, with social media use alone generating around 6g of CO₂ per hour
• With digital activities now accounting for 4% of global CO₂ emissions—comparable to the aviation industry—awareness of their environmental toll is growing

🔭 The context: Data centers, which store and process internet activity, are responsible for 1% of global electricity consumption
• As online activity intensifies, emissions are expected to grow by 6% annually
• Companies like Microsoft and Google are working to reduce their impact by adopting renewable energy and improving server efficiency, but user habits also play a role in curbing emissions

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Digital consumption is a hidden yet growing contributor to climate change
• Reducing the environmental footprint of tech usage can complement broader sustainability efforts, helping to meet emissions reduction goals

⏭️ What's next: Both tech companies and users must collaborate to reduce emissions
• Solutions include low-energy data processing modes, renewable-powered data centers, and behavioral shifts such as limiting screen time or downloading content for offline use

💬 One quote: “Optimizing technology use presents a powerful opportunity for positive change" – Bill Buckley, CloudZero

📈 One stat: Doom scrolling contributes to the 4% of global CO₂ emissions generated by digital activities, a figure rivaling aviation’s footprint

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