27: Dr. Laura Marks on Streaming Media’s Carbon Footprint

Dr. Laura U Marks (she/her) is a media scholar, philosopher, author, and programmer. She works on media art & philosophy with an intercultural focus, and on small-footprint media. Dr. Marks is the founder of the "Small File Media Festival." As Grant Strate University Professor, she teaches in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. At SFU, Dr. Marks works with a group of researchers on tackling the footprint of streaming media. You can find their multiple publications, statistics, talks, and resources here: Streaming Carbon Footprint. Her new book, "The Fold: From Your Body to the Cosmos" will be published in March 2024 by Duke University Press.

In this episode, host Nadine and Dr. Marks talk about why streaming media has a carbon footprint. Dr Marks explains the differences between going to the movies versus turning on Netflix. They discuss the rebound effect as it pertains to data usage and growth models. Nadine wonders about the ICT industry's "myth of efficiency." Dr Marks opens up about the power of the consumer in this fight. They explore small file eco media at Small File Media Festival, and Dr Marks' concept of “soul emblassages.”

This episode refers to the following works: 2021 Study 'Tackling the Carbon Footprint of Streaming Media', Research at SFU, Small File Media Festival, 2022 Study 'Myth of Efficiency', 2022 Presentation 'On Greening Film Festivals' organized by Ger Zielinski Society for Cinema Studies, and physical publication “Scaling Down: On the Unsustainable Pleasures of Large-File Streaming,” in What Film Is Good For, ed. Julian Hanich and Martin Rossouw.

Dr. Laura U Marks (she/her) is a media scholar, philosopher, author, and programmer based in Vancouver, Canada. @lauraumarks

Nadine Reumer (she/her) is an actress and producer based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

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