TUNE IN
TUNE OUT
We’ve got a consumption problem, and it’s not just about buying too much stuff. It’s our insatiable appetite for video content. Whether it’s on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or Netflix, we can’t get enough of it. With smartphones, it’s now easier than ever to consume and create video content. But what many people don’t realise is that all this media doesn’t just exist “in the cloud.” It’s stored in data centers—massive, energy-hungry buildings that require water, electricity, and other resources to keep running.
Let’s talk about why that matters and how shifting our consumption from video content to something as simple as online radio could make a huge difference for the planet.
Every video you watch, every clip you upload, ends up stored in data centers. These aren’t magical floating clouds, as clever marketing would have you believe; they’re physical, power-intensive structures that are expanding as our need for storage grows. Data centers consume vast amounts of electricity to power the servers and cool them down. In fact, data centers are estimated to account for 1-2% of global electricity use, and this is expected to rise as we continue creating and consuming more data. It’s a quiet but growing part of our carbon footprint.
And here’s the kicker: roughly 90% of all data in data centers is never accessed again after it’s stored. That means most of the videos, posts, and music we create just sit there, doing nothing but consuming energy. The same goes for music: about 90% of songs on Spotify are rarely listened to, which just adds to this data glut.
To put this into perspective, let’s compare the data usage of online radio to watching video content. Listening to an online radio station at 128kbps uses around 60MB of data per hour. In contrast, streaming a video at 1080p resolution consumes around 1.5GB of data per hour. That’s a staggering difference.
"If you swap just an hour of video streaming for an hour of radio listening,
you’re cutting your data usage by about 95%"
If you swap just an hour of video streaming for an hour of radio listening, you’re cutting your data usage by about 95%. And less data means less energy consumption in the data centers where this information is stored. Scale this shift globally, and we could be looking at massive reductions in energy use—and consequently, less strain on the planet.
Let’s talk numbers. Streaming video comes at a much higher cost to the planet than most people realise. For every 1GB of data used, approximately 3.5 kg of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) is emitted. Now let’s put this into perspective.
• Every day, TikTok users watch roughly 1 billion videos. If each video is around 15MB, that’s 15,000,000 GB of data consumed daily.
• This level of video consumption leads to around 52.5 million kg of CO2 emissions per day.
• To put that into context, it’s the equivalent of a commercial airplane flying around the Earth 630 times.
Now, let’s compare that with the environmental impact of listening to radio:
• Listening to online radio at 128kbps for the same amount of time uses just a fraction of the data: about 60MB per hour.
• If TikTok’s daily users switched to listening to radio instead of watching video, the CO2 emissions would be just 210,000 kg, or the equivalent of flying around the Earth 8 times.
This simple shift from video to radio could drastically cut down global CO2 emissions. Think about how much we could save if even a portion of video consumption was replaced with radio listening!
The rise of AI has made it even easier to create content. Tools that generate videos, deepfakes, and other forms of media are becoming more accessible, meaning there’s more content out there than ever before. But does more content mean better content? Not necessarily.
This ease of creation only adds to the data clog in centers around the world, further fueling energy consumption. It’s an endless cycle: more content, more data, more energy needed to store and manage it all. And while AI can certainly be useful, it also raises questions about our digital habits and their environmental impact.
Here are some simple, practical steps to consider:
You probably have years’ worth of posts, photos, and videos clogging up space on social media and data centers. Start by doing a little housekeeping—delete old content you no longer need or care about. This reduces data storage demands in data centers.
The more you scroll, the more you encourage content creation. Every view you give to mindless videos on social media adds to the demand for more content, which means more data storage, energy, and emissions. Break the cycle by cutting back on endless scrolling.
Before you post anything, ask yourself: What’s the purpose of this post? Is it serving a higher purpose, or is it just vanity? Being mindful of what we share can help reduce unnecessary content creation and data usage.
Cut down on your screen time. Opt for audio content like radio, podcasts, or audiobooks. Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s also beneficial for your mental health—less time staring at a screen and more time engaging with the world around you.
Next time you’re about to stream a video or endlessly scroll through TikTok, consider switching to an audio-based experience. Small, conscious shifts in our habits can collectively make a huge difference.
Switching from watching video content to listening to radio, particularly online radio, is a simple but powerful way to make a difference. Unlike video, radio is lightweight in terms of data usage, and yet it’s rich in engagement. You can get on with your day—whether it’s work, exercise, or chilling—while still tuning in to the music and conversations you love. And all the while, you’re contributing to a more sustainable digital future.
It’s easy to get sucked into the world of infinite scrolling and endless video content. But by becoming more mindful of our digital consumption and opting for less data-intensive experiences, we can help reduce the strain on our planet. The world doesn’t need more videos we’ll never watch again—it needs more sustainable solutions. And radio might just be part of that answer.
