SCMS roundtable, Let’s Deal with the Environmental Impacts of Streaming Video
13/04/20 17:13
The Society for Cinema and Media Studies annual conference was canceled, but on April 4 we held this roundtable online as part of the Environmental Interest Group. Thanks to Anne Pasek, postdoctoral fellow in Transitions in Energy, Culture, and Society at University of Alberta,
for organizing the event:
Some highlights:
I pointed out that digital technologies in total emit 4% of greenhouse gas emissions—this could reach 8% by 2025. Half of that, or 4%, is data traffic. Increasing by >25%/year. 80% of that is video. In 2018, online video was responsible for 1% of greenhouse gas emissions, porn = 0.2% (The Shift Project)
Joe Clark surveyed best archival media site practices. He gave the figure that 10 minutes hi-res streaming = 1 load laundry (calculation based on from David Costenaro and Anthony Duer, EnerNOC Utility Solutions, “The Megawatts behind Your Megabytes: Going from Data-Center to Desktop”)
Jason Livingston’s brilliant video features a Snapchat polarbear asking reproachfully, “What are you doing to the planet man? What are you doing?”
Denise Oleksijczuk pointed out that 3% of the population are electrosensitive, and they are “canaries in the coal mine” for the dangers of electromagnetic frequencies. She argued we should all be using wired connections, which use less energy and do not crowd the air with EMF. Denise pointed out many people have felt tired all their lives, because of EMF bombardment, and suggested we try sleeping in a Faraday cage for a couple weeks to see if you feel better.
Lucas Hilderbrand pointed to the pressure on us educators to use streaming in education, and the connivance of cinephilia and high energy consumption. He suggested our teaching should include a streaming impact statement, as we include Indigenous land acknowledgements. Lucas suggested we insist on in-class tangible screenings—the carbon footprint of streaming media being a great argument for collective screening experience. Lucas' suggestions for low-electricity remote teaching included sharing downloadable, audio-narrated slides instead of video.
In the lively discussion, we all agreed that this is a good time to issue a manifesto on streaming less (maybe with the slogan “Stream less, stream better”?). Optimistically, I like to think we are at peak streaming media, because even if the numbers increase, streaming is ceasing to be a mindless activity, and streaming in high resolution is losing its appeal. So last decade! As Joe pointed out, there’s a pleasure of reduced stimulus in self-isolation.
Anne Pasek pointed out we should avoid a virtuous class divide between “good” and “bad” streamers and instead embrace a politics of pleasure, on the model of the Green New Deal.
I completely agree: I believe low-resolution, small-file media are attractive, “pull” media (McLuhan), haptic media (Marks) “sticky” (Alfred Gell). We want to grab them and pull them close, for example on small devices. Jason noted that small-gauge media like home movies create a intimate experience, and Lucas pointed out most young people prefer to watch movies on the small screen: it’s an opportunity to shift expectations. Small media are sexy!
We are drafting a Best Practices guide for teaching, pedagogy, programming and media making with a small carbon footprint, to circulate to SCMS members and anyone else. We will be publishing our provocations at Media+Environment.
for organizing the event:
- Laura Marks (Simon Fraser University) “Streaming media’s carbon footprint: 1% of global CO2 emissions and rising!”
- Joseph Clark (Simon Fraser University) “Material Pasts and Futures in the Newsreel Archive”
- Jason Livingston (University at Buffalo) “An App for Tracking Streaming Energy Use?”
- Denise Oleksijczuk (Simon Fraser University) “From Electrosensitivity to 5G”
- Lucas Hilderbrand (UC Irvine) “Teaching Challenges and Imperatives of Streaming”
Some highlights:
I pointed out that digital technologies in total emit 4% of greenhouse gas emissions—this could reach 8% by 2025. Half of that, or 4%, is data traffic. Increasing by >25%/year. 80% of that is video. In 2018, online video was responsible for 1% of greenhouse gas emissions, porn = 0.2% (The Shift Project)
Joe Clark surveyed best archival media site practices. He gave the figure that 10 minutes hi-res streaming = 1 load laundry (calculation based on from David Costenaro and Anthony Duer, EnerNOC Utility Solutions, “The Megawatts behind Your Megabytes: Going from Data-Center to Desktop”)
Jason Livingston’s brilliant video features a Snapchat polarbear asking reproachfully, “What are you doing to the planet man? What are you doing?”
Denise Oleksijczuk pointed out that 3% of the population are electrosensitive, and they are “canaries in the coal mine” for the dangers of electromagnetic frequencies. She argued we should all be using wired connections, which use less energy and do not crowd the air with EMF. Denise pointed out many people have felt tired all their lives, because of EMF bombardment, and suggested we try sleeping in a Faraday cage for a couple weeks to see if you feel better.
Lucas Hilderbrand pointed to the pressure on us educators to use streaming in education, and the connivance of cinephilia and high energy consumption. He suggested our teaching should include a streaming impact statement, as we include Indigenous land acknowledgements. Lucas suggested we insist on in-class tangible screenings—the carbon footprint of streaming media being a great argument for collective screening experience. Lucas' suggestions for low-electricity remote teaching included sharing downloadable, audio-narrated slides instead of video.
In the lively discussion, we all agreed that this is a good time to issue a manifesto on streaming less (maybe with the slogan “Stream less, stream better”?). Optimistically, I like to think we are at peak streaming media, because even if the numbers increase, streaming is ceasing to be a mindless activity, and streaming in high resolution is losing its appeal. So last decade! As Joe pointed out, there’s a pleasure of reduced stimulus in self-isolation.
Anne Pasek pointed out we should avoid a virtuous class divide between “good” and “bad” streamers and instead embrace a politics of pleasure, on the model of the Green New Deal.
I completely agree: I believe low-resolution, small-file media are attractive, “pull” media (McLuhan), haptic media (Marks) “sticky” (Alfred Gell). We want to grab them and pull them close, for example on small devices. Jason noted that small-gauge media like home movies create a intimate experience, and Lucas pointed out most young people prefer to watch movies on the small screen: it’s an opportunity to shift expectations. Small media are sexy!
We are drafting a Best Practices guide for teaching, pedagogy, programming and media making with a small carbon footprint, to circulate to SCMS members and anyone else. We will be publishing our provocations at Media+Environment.