This lecture examines the ecological footprint of big data and its implications for the future directions of the digital humanities. The digital humanities community has initiated measures such as minimal computing to mitigate the environmental impact of our research and teaching. However, big data’s extremely high volume and complexity present unprecedented challenges. Initially, we will explore how big data marks a radical departure from non-digital media in resource and energy use. While mediums such as epigraphs and movable types require raw materials and human labour but no external energy source for reading, digital solutions need electrical power for both storage and retrieval. The discussion then will shift to paradoxes and tradeoffs.

As the global production of data proliferates, concerns arise about the feasibility of accessing the hypothetical archives of tomorrow due to soaring energy requirements. Major Web 2.0 service providers are at the vanguard of energy-efficient innovations and renewables. Yet, their operational models lead to a modern Jevons’ paradox: improved efficiency amplifies user consumption and reliance on centralised infrastructure. Despite the ongoing efforts to decentralise the web and dilute the influence of Big Tech, viable solutions are not yet available, and blockchain-based alternative projects struggle with energy intensity. Our suggestion is that researchers find clues in historical perspectives, reliable statistics, technical analysis, regional differences, and the coexistence of older and new information regimes to propose localised guidelines and recommendations.