CloudMaid
designed by Jasmine Kan, Brittany Garuk, Helena Parewyck and Lisa Lai
This project brings to light the cost we do not currently pay for in energy consumption and aims to make the viewer consider the environmental implications of their online presence.
We store a large amount of personal data online through cloud storage and social media, and often we aren’t aware of how much we are accumulating. Everything that is created, shared and duplicated lasts forever as nothing ever gets truly “deleted.” Energy that goes into storing and generating this information in data farms uses 1,500 terawatt-hours per year, making up 10% of the world’s energy consumption. This project highlights this invisible energy consumption we contribute to on a daily basis by attaching a cost to it.
Framed as a paper bill sent from CloudMaid, the bill breaks down how much data energy and cost one person has accumulated for different platforms as well as a total outstanding bill.
Framed as a paper bill sent from CloudMaid, the bill breaks down how much data energy and cost one person has accumulated for different platforms as well as a total outstanding bill.
This company would be compatible with existing social media and cloud storage platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox and Google Drive in charging people for the energy costs it takes to upkeep all their data. Through our research, we found that it takes 7kwh to transmit 1GB of data (compared with your personal hard disk, which requires about 0.000005 kWh ), and according to Vancouvers Hydro, it costs $0.086 for 1 kWh. An equation provided by Google as a service fee for cloud storage is $0.026 per 1GB per one month of data storage.
With these equations, we are able to calculate our very own quarterly costs as individuals and get a visual and numeric understanding through our bill for the very first time; an estimate bill based off our personal habits, as well as how much a maintenance fee to store the data cumulatively would cost forever.
With these equations, we are able to calculate our very own quarterly costs as individuals and get a visual and numeric understanding through our bill for the very first time; an estimate bill based off our personal habits, as well as how much a maintenance fee to store the data cumulatively would cost forever.
