If you look at life from a certain point of view, it can be seen as a double-edged sword. The decisions we want to make come at a cost, and the decisions we don’t want to make come with a consequence.
Skipping work may be the decision you want to make when you wake up, but are you willing to make that decision and put your job and livelihood on the line?
You could also choose not to pay your rent because you want to spend that money on a lavish vacation. That’s cool, but good luck finding a place to live when you return from Bora Bora.
Thats the analogy I’d used when discussing an important topic in our society: saving energy. It sounds great until you’re asked to find alternatives for all the electricity you use at home. Or cut off usage completely.
Maybe that is a palatable task—and if so, it is commendable. But are you willing to sacrifice your internet usage for a more sustainable way of life?
Forgive me for the intense build-up to my main point, but consider your decision when all the factors are laid out.
The internet, a critical factor in many of our lives as a means of survival, education, and entertainment, consumes a decent amount of energy each year. Just how much?
As of January 2021, there were:
- 4.66 billion active internet users online
- The 4.66 billion represents 59.5 percent of the global population
- Asia represents over 50 percent of total internet users.
- Continents Europe, Africa, Latin America, and North America followed after Asia’s high mark.
- There are approximately 30 billion internet-connected devices in the world.
Some indicate that the internet could use up to 20 percent of all global electricity and emit 5.5 percent of the world’s carbon by 2030.
This represents a significant amount of overall usage, which could raise concerns about how we can plan to regulate this usage as the need for the internet becomes increasingly pressing.
It is unlikely that you will enter a household in 2024 without some internet usage. The internet is becoming a staple in homes across the globe, and the dependency on it is higher than ever.
The internet provides us with the information we need, connects us to others, and improves our overall quality of life.
Many household devices, such as cell phones, gaming systems, televisions, and doorbell cameras, need the internet.
Schools require students to have access to internet service and, in certain circumstances, provide them with devices to complete schoolwork from home.
Other forms of internet include but are not limited to:
- Social networking
- Online shopping
- Online banking
- Online gaming
- Stock trading
- Online dating
- Research
The internet keeps us updated with the most relevant news in our community and country. The days of getting your news in print are few and far between.
There are also the factors we don’t visually see that are the culprits for energy-wasting, like data servers, data networks, and transmission, to name a few.
Bringing me back to the analogy from earlier, the things we need come at a cost, a consequence, or both.
Just imagine life without the internet when you’re so accustomed to it.
How can we find a more efficient way to use a tool that is so heavily invested in our everyday lives? How can we better prioritize using the internet, an entity that is a core piece of our daily operations?
Every problem has a solution, just like this one. There are feasible alternatives for many preferred methods.
For starters, websites that exert a high level of energy on web browsers can find ways to make their site more energy efficient, such as reducing the quality of images, limiting the use of video playback, and even choosing the font carefully for specific text.
Other methods to consider:
- Using less JavaScript
- Optimizing fonts and images
- Using Dark Mode features
- Minimizing user experience
As we dig deeper, countries like the United Kingdom have encouraged citizens to turn off wifi connections when they are not being used, like when they’re asleep.
They have also encouraged people to be more intentional about when to charge their cellular devices and to recycle old electronic devices correctly.
You could also:
- Being diligent with electronic equipment and stretching its use
- Check energy labeling when purchasing a television
- Switch off smart home appliances whenever possible
- Monitoring the use of streaming services
One factor to consider is climate change and its impact on the environment. Using the internet more efficiently would allow climate change to improve and drive renewable energy development.
What benefits would these lifestyle changes have on the users dependent on them?
This would also allow for a more reliable energy supply and overall lower energy development. This would lead to more affordable energy costs for customers and more conducive energy use on what matters.
The future can be so far ahead that we may neglect to focus on what satisfies us in the present. We can make decisions that may seem minuscule at the moment but, in reality, impact more than just ourselves.
Thats is the decision to make when investing energy in different sources, whether the internet, electronic devices, or any other entity.
Consider your internet usage decisions as we do in other areas of life.
Your momentary mind frame should include how often you use the internet, where it is being used, why it is being used, and how long it is being used.
And this isn’t to pinpoint every choice in your life. But remember: the decisions we want to make come at a cost, and the decisions we don’t want to make come with a consequence.
For the world we desire, we must be willing to make sacrifices to get closer to our visions. And if that means turning off your wifi before you sleep, then so be it, right?
When you see the impact of your decision play out in your favor and lead to instrumental change, the joy you’ll feel will be indescribable. Then, it won’t be considered a sacrifice but a monumental decision.
Make the decision today that your future self will thank you for. Save energy using the internet. It will help big time in the long run.
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