Cyberspace experts have termed the extraordinary number of memes and “reply-all” emails being created and posted as extremely harmful to the environment. Most of the data in memes is stored on energy-hungry data servers and is never used again once used.
Memes have now become a general trend across the world. Memes spread a message, criticism, mockery or satire very quickly. When memes were introduced, people probably didn’t think that they would ever affect storage capacity.
Researchers have stated that the data stored in the form of memes is actually dark data meaning that it is not used again after being used once. This means that every meme, joke or movie we share is stored in some data center.
The UK’s National Grid has reported that by 2030, memes, jokes and movie data centers will consume up to 6% of the country’s electricity. This means that efforts to improve the environment are also related to how junk data is handled.
The British newspaper The Guardian writes that a single meme will not destroy the planet, but millions of memes in data centers consume large amounts of energy. As a result, the planet is being damaged.