Conceiving Internet as the Fourth Utility: Importance of Green Motivation and Internet Pricing

Ayodhya Madhubhashani Wathuge

doi:10.25918/thesis.352

The internet is thought to have a high social value because of its function as an essential facilitator of other public goods, merit goods, and human rights such as knowledge, data, education, the arts, democracy, and freedom of expression. The internet is seen as a vital utility by researchers, essential in human life. Thus, internet usage is inevitable and steadily rising due to technological shifts in both personal and professional settings. However, this ever-increasing internet usage is associated with substantial environmental damage due to emissions from internet infrastructure. Studies show that the carbon dioxide footprint of one gigabyte can be as great as 63 grams. Considering the increased use of the internet worldwide, such statistics imply alarming consequences. Moreover, internet pricing models and lack of motivation encourage unrestricted usage. Internet pricing models, unlike other utilities, promote increased usage rather than limitation. Flat-rate pricing and decreasing per-gigabyte costs encourage greater consumption. Moreover, many individuals are unaware of the environmental damage associated with internet use, leading to a lack of motivation to curb usage. These factors make it challenging to promote restraint in internet usage. Global, national, and organisational strategies aim to mitigate the internet's environmental impact. These involve enhancing data centre algorithms, adopting renewable energy, and utilising data caching. Yet, there's less focus on individual actions to reduce environmental impact. This thesis aimed to explore if individuals can reduce internet use by paying a premium for green internet packages and being motivated to lessen environmental harm. It employed a quantitative approach, using a population-based survey experiment. An informational video on internet pollution preceded the survey for the experimental group. A sample of 376 global internet users was randomly selected from social media. The control group comprised 193 respondents, and the experimental group 183. Data were analysed using PLS-SEM to examine the roles of motivation and willingness to pay on intention to reduce internet usage. Post-video, both autonomous and controlled motivation increased, leading to heightened intention to reduce internet use. However, when offered green internet packages, the impact of autonomous motivation decreased, while controlled motivation improved. Notably, after the option to pay for environmental damage, intentions to reduce internet use slightly decreased. The study's findings advance theoretical insights into environmentally responsible personal internet usage and broader green information technology utility perspectives. Additionally, the results suggest potential motivation and pricing strategies to mitigate environmental damage from personal internet use.

Conceiving Internet as the Fourth Utility: Importance of Green Motivation and Internet Pricing

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Conceiving Internet as the Fourth Utility: Importance of Green Motivation and Internet Pricing

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