12026-03-19T13:50:08-07:00Beatrice Goyerff421ec25d840568ecaafd89e541d03e3d388a0bHey Siri, how does iCloud work?Beatrice Goyer6plain2026-04-11T14:49:47-07:00Beatrice Goyerff421ec25d840568ecaafd89e541d03e3d388a0b
12026-03-19T12:11:52-07:00iCloud Storage9plain2026-04-11T14:56:31-07:00 Digital storage is often described through the metaphor of the “cloud,” suggesting something weightless, abstract, and detached from material constraints. However, this metaphor obscures the physical infrastructures that sustain digital systems, including data centers, energy networks, and resource-intensive hardware. Digital capitalism is not immaterial but deeply extractive, relying on continuous inputs of energy and raw materials.
Rather than reducing environmental impact, digitalization can intensify it through what has been described as a “scale effect,” where efficiency gains are offset by increased production and consumption. The apparent immateriality of cloud storage thus masks a system that is firmly grounded in the material and energetic conditions of the Anthropocene.
Clicking on “Upgrade Storage” leads to search results that break this down further, showing what actually supports the idea of the “cloud.”
