Think tank #1
The first think tank about digital waste was held at Corda Campus on February 11, 2022. Several participants from Corda Campus, Studio Plankton and studio.POC brainstormed about digital waste visualisation and the trajectory of the DISSOLUTION project.
Our life in the cloud seems less bound by restrictions than the finite life in which we are dependent on our own bodies, living conditions, decisions of others, etc. But what are the consequences of these virtual excesses? What digital traces do we leave behind? Countless amounts of storage space are taken up by zombie profiles and inactive virtual rooms.
The mass of virtual space clutter is almost as incomprehensible as the (un)boundlessness of the universe itself.
What is digital waste?
Digital waste -
Hardware
Endless stream of photos, without limit -> What is being used/What is trash?
Archives and back-ups that are never being used again
Content of trash bin on computer ->
Where does it go?
Energy waste because of multiple, connected devices
Metals and sources for fabricating hardware -> tangible waste
Digital waste -
Energy
Never ending streams -> falling asleep with Netflix
Which data is relevants? How much energy for irrelevant data?
Data efficiency,
e.g. bitcoin, NFT
Energy used to exchange data
Websites and apps stay open on smartphones, laptops and devices
Energy consuming servers, rendering,...
Autoplay on sites, streaming platforms
Satellite connections for GPS, tracking, ...
Digital waste -
Storage/Platform
Fake profiles on dating apps, social media, ...
Advertising on social media and websites popping up
Tracking on browsers
Spam on servers
Storage of personal data for advertisement and corporate use
Ghost profiles, accounts, websites, virtual rooms,...
Clickbait for companies, no actual content
Online workspaces, brainstorms (like this one!) on several platforms
Downloads over wetransfer, large filesn torrents,... how much stays on servers?
Websites, blogs and social platforms that don't exist anymore, but still 'tracable'
Attachments on mails, whatsapp, messages,...
Useless content, clips, pictures, 'articles', blogs, ...
AI and bots
Digital waste -
Conceptual
Time waste ->
wasting time on overload of information and advertisement
Personal energy in order to process all the digital information on 1 day
Not tangible ->
not urgent?
Irregular growth, invisible -> a whole universe?
Irregular growth, invisible -> a whole universe?
Is 'waste' so negative? What can we re-use as a source material?
'Waste' is different for everyone ->
What content is useless? What is trash?
Digital waste of time
'Digitus': a condition, 0 and 1
How to visualise digital waste?
Per message ->
a cube will grow
Laser beams as data captation
graphic per subject: e.g. 'news', 'sports', 'finances',...
Data counter: amount of megabites per 'visit'
Reaching a limit?
10' time out, e.g.
a ban on using any data
Awareness through interviews and surveys
Limiting the amount of data by the provider -> how long will it last?
'Clean room':
a stimuli free room, digital detox room
App ->
like a pedometer
'Dirty room':
lasers, noise, light, polution,..
Data as a poisonous cloud over the campus
Game: play as long as possible with a certain amount of data ->
Competition
Maze -> without waste, dissolution of the maze
Adaptable shades: dark (trash), light (detox)
Too much wasting time on trash and advertisement?
Disappearing of pixels on the screen
Recycle park with different bins
Antique store
Digital compost: re-using trash as source
Negative space:
form, visuals, music
Tetris approach:
waste really gone?
Remove it permanently when 1 line is formed
App with preferences: what is waste for you?
Annoying pop-up with information about your data usage
How to solve digital waste?
Visualisation =
Awareness =
Consciousness =
Part of the solution
Punishment:
10' time-out, no data during that time
Take the test (event):
how much data of yourself is somewhere online?
Data slots according a certain plan
Apps automatically in sleep mode
Self-destruction of unused websites and profiles
Digital shower:
portal of awareness: data usage pops up
Appropriate protocols:
How to deal with data?
Dissolution of pixels: cold turkey, rehab, behaviour modification
3D-printing a Tower of Digital Waste in Corda Campus ->
awareness
App with data counter: how 'better' your digital hygiene, the more data you will receive
How to recycle digital waste?
Trash becomes energy source
metaverse = 'land' that is not being used -> other purpose, destination
Data becomes energy
Data = 0-1
Re-use the 'O-1' for other purposes
Data as blockhain
Cooling used for servers -> converting to energy to heat up the building
Algorithmic compost: AI will clean up all the waste, according to our own bias
Algorithmic paradox: will AI solve the waste problem, or only create more waste?