Social media platforms may not be the first thing you think of when you consider big pollution contributors, but they probably have a bigger carbon footprint than you think. After all, it requires electricity to power your smartphone, tablet or laptop and everything they connect to when you hop on Instagram to scroll your feed.
The social media company with the largest carbon footprint probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise, since it’s currently one of the most popular. According to Compare the Market, TikTok emits 2.63 grams of carbon equivalent each minute for every active user. Just five minutes of use a day adds up to about 4,800g a year, per user. With a reported 1 billion users, that’s a whole lot of emissions. Reddit and Pinterest come in second and third place, respectively.
If you’re curious about your individual carbon footprint within the social media sphere, Compare the Market has a personal calculator where you can find out.
