Lately, I prefer a positive outlook on the future, yet I do have a couple of concerns. One of these concerns is data. The data we create each days grows exponentially, yet no one seems to discuss what this means long term. "Data storage is basically free!" is the usual claim. But at some point, I believe the Digital Data Bubble will have to burst. I can imagine a day when the monthly cost of maintaining data in the cloud will be a significant part of the household budget.
Thought Experiment #1 - A Messy Garage
Your garage is packed with stuff so you move to a house with a bigger garage. The new, bigger garage gets crowded so you move some of the stuff to a storage unit. The storage unit gets crowded, so you get a bigger storage unit. You keep getting more storage units until you find out about an empty warehouse. You move all of your stuff out of the garage and storage units into this one warehouse, and to your relief it barely takes up any space. You now begin storing all of your new belongings and stuff in the warehouse and to your surprise, it soon fills up.
Is it time to get another warehouse? No. It's long past the time to get rid of stuff. Plus, you're frustrated because now you can never find anything and it seems that you have more junk than stuff of value.
Thought Experiment #2 - A Forest
The forest is thick with trees and plants. Countless animals and insects live there. A tree dies and falls over, cluttering the forest floor. Insects, fungus, bacteria swarm the tree and decompose it until the nutrients it held are released into the ground. There is a natural, ecological balance that prevents the forest from getting too dense.
Conclusion
We need a strategy to purge our old useless data before it becomes too costly and too overwhelming to manage.