The Digital Clutter Dilemma

To keep or not to keep, that is the question. As I step away from some voluntary roles, I'm faced with a conundrum. What do I do with all these digital files I've collected over the years? 

Part of me wants to go on a deleting spree to clear out the cobwebs, so to speak. But then I pause. These emails and documents are not just clutter. They're a piece of our history, our digital legacy.

Think about it. We don't write letters anymore. We write emails—thousands of them. And if we just hit delete, Blam! That history is gone. Future generations will wonder how we lived and communicated. Our digital files could be the key to understanding our world.

But here's the catch: Storing all this data comes at a cost. Those big, humming data centres that keep our digital lives afloat are energy guzzlers. They need a lot of water to stay cool, and all of that impacts the environment.

So, what's a digital hoarder to do? First things first, take a deep breath. Then, take a good, hard look at your files. What do you really need to keep? What has sentimental value? What might be important for history? And what's just taking up space?

When you do hit delete, make sure you're doing it safely. No one wants their sensitive info falling into the wrong hands. And let's be honest, it can be challenging to say goodbye to some of these files. That photo from your trip to the beach? It might not be a masterpiece, but it holds a memory.

I'm trying to find a balance as I sort through my digital maze. Keep what matters, and let go of what doesn't. Our digital footprints are part of a bigger story—the story of us. And future historians? They might just find value in our old work emails or silly selfies.

So, as we navigate this digital age, let's be intentional. Let's think about our digital legacies. Let's consider how our files fit into the grand scheme of things. It's not easy, but it's important.

And who knows? Maybe one day, someone will stumble upon our old files and chuckle. They are a little piece of our world, preserved in ones and zeroes, a digital time capsule waiting to be discovered.