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The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. There was a time when data centers were quietly built throughout the countryjust another utility necessary to meet the need of businesses and consumers. Today, theyre bigger and more power hungry, and thats drawing a new level of attention. So much so that, in a recent rezoning hearing attended by hundreds of residents, attendees expressed concerns about the proliferation of data and data centers. Clearly, big data applications are driving the surge in the data center industrys expansion today. But we started to wonder how much wasted data is out there and if consumers understand how they connect to data centers. Are people paying (increasingly high) fees to store waste? Do they understand it all lives in a physical, powered location? As a company, we are dogged about zero waste. Were certainly not in the business of building virtual landfills. Being curious, we set out to dig deeper, to understand how Americans see digital accumulation. Between January 21 and February 5, 2025, Compass Datacenters polled 1,005 Americans for their perspectives on digital accumulation. At the heart of the study was this question: Are we a nation of digital hoarders? The results We learned that few people connect the dots between the cloud and the physical infrastructure behind it. Nearly 60% of respondents claimed they use cloud storage, but only 23% recognized that as being a physical location. While people said they do delete files on occasion, those occasions are few and far between. People are motivated to hit delete to keep their devices functioning; few exercise good digital hygiene as a matter of security. Respondents were quick to say theyre afraid of deleting something they might need later. One-third of respondents said the prospect of dealing with digital accumulation makes them feel overwhelmed, anxious, and stressedso much so that 60% said theyd rather wash dishes than clean out digital files. Further, there is an out of sight, out of mind mentality when it comes to digital files. Its troubling to see younger generations buying their way out of practicing good digital hygiene. Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z and millennials polled say they pay for data storage. Of the Gen Z group: 48% pay $1-$20 each month 40% pay $20-$40 per month 11% pay $40-$60 monthly Accounting for a 3% inflation rate, assuming a 25-year-old pays $20/month for data storage until the age of 85, they will spend $40,000 over their lifetime on digital storage. Data retention in the workplace This trend is not relegated to consumers. Studies indicate that less than 20% of large businesses have procedures for data retention or information governance. Businesses can set the tone and be champions for better digital hygiene by prioritizing clear policies for data retention and digital storage and ensuring compliance for security and efficiency. Best practice in the business world is not unlike consumer guidance. You have to identify the types of data to retain, the file retention duration, and the appropriate storage methods. Discipline around stored data review can help identify which redundant or outdated information to eliminate, thereby reducing storage costs and minimizing digital clutter. Additionally, leveraging encryption and secure access controls can protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and breaches. By adopting these best practices, companies can maintain a streamlined and secure digital environment supporting their operational needs and regulatory requirements. The bottom line on digital waste Digital waste is still waste. Just as a more orderly physical spaces fosters productivity and reduces stress, a more organized digital life can lead to greater efficiency and less anxiety. Taking small, consistent steps now to delete unused apps, unsubscribe from unnecessary emails, and regularly organize our files creates a more sustainable digital ecosystem. We share other tips for creating disciplines about what to store and where, and how to integrate best practices into daily life at Delete Digital Dust Bunnies, a site highlighting this kind of Earth Day cleanup. By recognizing the tangible impact of our digital lives and embracing the practice of digital decluttering, we can all contribute to a more sustainable digital future. Earth Day is a great time to swipe out the extraneous data and lighten the load, for us and for the future. Chris Crosby is CEO of Compass Datacenters.
Category:
E-Commerce
In April 2023, the New York State Board of Regents unanimously voted to prohibit mascots, team names, and logos with any connection to Indigenous peoples in public schools. This move was made to ratify a notice sent months before by the New York State Education Department to public schools to change any mascots depicting Native Americans that do not have explicit permission from local tribal leaders or face removal of school officers and the withholding of state aid. Although dozens of schools began the process of changing mascots, school districts such as Massapequa stood fast. Eponymously named after the Massapequa tribe, the school district uses a chief mascot throughout the town and at Massapequa High School. The slogan Once a Chief, always a Chief can be often found on residents T-shirts and heard throughout the area. In a letter sent by the Massapequa Board of Education to the New York State Board of Regents, the council stated that the mascot was more than a symbol to Massapequa, and stated that we in Massapequa will not sit idly by while an unelected group of officials tries to remove our history. However, according to JP OHare, a spokesman for the state’s Education Department, the Massapequa school district did not make an attempt to ask permission from local Indigenous leaders. Disrespecting entire groups of people is wrong in any context, but especially in our schools, where all students should feel welcome and supported, OHare said in an interview with the New York Times. Now, two years into the conflict, President Trump has added another wrench in the Board of Regents ruling. Taking to Truth Social on Monday, the president affirmed his support for the Massapequa Board of Education. Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population, Trump said. By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my highly capable Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to fight for the people of Massapequa on this very important issue. Federal funding at stake in broader DEI fight So far, it is unclear what power McMahon may actually have to oppose state education law. Fast Company reached out to the Department of Education (DOE) for comment. Nevertheless, attention like this from the Trump administration should not be taken lightly. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools that have enacted what the administration considered to be unfair diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In response to the presidents comments, the Massapequa School Board released a statement thanking Trump for speaking out, local media reported. We are honored that President Trump has recognized our efforts and brought national attention to our cause. His support is a powerful affirmation of what were fighting for. Fast Company was unable to reach the school board for further comment as its press mailbox was full and email requests bounced back. We also reached out to the New York State Education Department and the National Congress of American Indians. We will update this post if we hear back.
Category:
E-Commerce
As the impact of President Trump’s tariffs comes into focus during the coming months, hundreds of thousands of workers could stand to lose their jobs. Economists have warned that the tariffs could drive up the unemployment rate, and many experts fear they could spark a recession. This upheaval could place additional stress on the current unemployment insurance program, which already fails to adequately support laid-off employees and other Americans struggling to find work.While unemployment benefits continue to be a key resource for workersoffering relief to one in six U.S. adults when unemployment surged during the pandemica new report from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) illustrates that they fall short of offering the level of support that workers say they need. The limits of unemployment benefits Of the nearly 1,500 workers surveyed, about one in five said they found that unemployment benefits were “not adequate to meet their financial needs,” though this figure varied by state. Since unemployment benefits vary from state to state, the average percentage of wage replacement could be anywhere from 29% in Alabama to 49% in Washington, according to NELP. In states where coverage was less generous, workers were more likely to express that their benefits were inadequate. Barriers to accessing benefits But the system also seems to be riddled with inefficiencies that make it difficult for people to receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Many respondents said they faced challenges when trying to navigate unemployment benefits, between tech issues and delayed payments. This was exacerbated during the pandemic but continued afterward, per the NELP survey. While fewer applicants had issues with payments overall, they continued to experience underpayment and delays receiving checks, not to mention being denied benefits outright. (In fact, the share of applicants who were incorrectly denied benefits doubled from 9% to 18% in the aftermath of the pandemic.) How employers can help Employers, too, can play a significant role in how people navigate these benefits. Nearly a third of workers said their employer had a hand in how they approached unemployment benefitsand 19% claimed an employer actively discouraged them from applying for benefits. On the other hand, employers were more likely to encourage highly paid and educated workers to seek out unemployment benefits. There was also some correlation with location, with workers receiving more assistance from employers in states like New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The study indicates that Americans are in need of more generous unemployment benefits and expanded eligibility, in addition to basic improvements to how they access those benefits. At the same time, it reaffirms that any access to those benefits can be a crucial source of support for people facing unemployment, mitigating food insecurity and helping families manage the steep cost of medical bills and mortgage payments. With the looming threat of job losses, more workers may come to rely on those benefits to make ends meet.
Category:
E-Commerce
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