So I’m cruising through TwitteX , and I stumble across this absolute unit of a poster from the University of East London shouting “WiFi doesn’t grow on trees. Your screen time is damaging the climate.”
My first reaction?
Great. Another university trying to make me feel guilty for liking high-end Hardware.
But as I took a step back (and finished judging their typography choices), I realised there’s actually a valid conversation to be had here — one that we, as tech-loving PC people, should probably be leading.
Wait — Is My Wi-Fi Killing the Planet?
No, calm down. Your router isn’t a microwave for the ozone layer.
The ad is click-bait, but the real jab is aimed at how long we’re online, not the wireless magic itself.
Every time we smash a Netflix marathon, doomscroll TikTok, or leave YouTube playing in the background “for the vibes”, we’re pulling data through some seriously power-hungry infrastructure:
- Data centres the size of small cities — stacked with servers that run 24/7.
- Networking gear burning electricity to beam our packets around the globe.
- All our lovely screens and gadgets, charging round the clock because we “need” 2ms response time at 150Hz.
Turns out, digital life ain’t as “virtual” as it looks.
Screen Time = Carbon Time (But We’re Not Selling Our PCs)
Let’s make one thing clear: I’m not giving up my PC, my phone, OR my Steam Deck.
And neither should you.
But just like we think about recycling, using energy-efficient appliances, or putting in LED bulbs — it might be time to give our digital habits a quick reality check.
Easy “Lazy Gamer” Tips to Be Less of an Online Power Hog
- Turn off autoplay — Half the time, we’re not even watching what’s next.
- Drop your streaming resolution if you’re watching on a phone or second screen. Your eyes won’t notice the difference — but the servers will.
- Trim your cloud junk — Backups you forgot about still cost electricity.
- Use power-saving modes & unplug chargers — Vampire power is real.
- Ask yourself “Do I really need this on right now?” before leaving five screens glowing unattended like some kind of digital shrine.
Final Thought Before I Go Back to Overclocking Something
That poster — “WiFi doesn’t grow on trees” — works because it’s ridiculous. But beneath the cheeky marketing lies a solid reminder:
Even our digital habits leave a footprint, and we’re not teenagers discovering the internet for the first time anymore — we know better.
Does that mean ditching our setups? Absolutely not.
But being smarter about how we use them? Yeah… that’s just good engineering.