online activity>> Research • US
Every person on the planet using micro-blogging site Twitter for a century. For analysts of digital communications this is a neat way of presenting the growth of the digital universe in 2009. Research estimates the digital universe grew by 62 per cent in 2009 to 800,000 petabytes—petabyte is a million gigabytes. The study conducted by US technology consultancy idc estimates this is the equivalent of a century’s tweeting by all of Earth’s current population—it is also reckoned as the equivalent of information 75-billion Apple iPads can store.
The explosion of online activity has also introduced a new word to the nerd lexicon: a zettabyte, roughly half a million times the collections of all US academic libraries. The current digital output is .9 zettabyte; it’s expected to blast the zettabyte barrier by 2011.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.