In Pickens County, we likely won’t have the opportunity to make a deal with the devil over data centers. Data centers need a lot of flat land, water, and massive amounts of electricity – none of which we have.
It’s probably for the best that we will be passed by, as recent polls, letters to the editor and social media posts make clear data centers are unwelcome – the worst thing possible for a community.
A March Gallup poll found Americans were much less opposed to nuclear power plants (53 percent) than data centers (78 percent).
For data centers, 48 percent of respondents strongly oppose the sprawling warehouse structures full of computers, with 23 percent somewhat opposed. Only 7 percent were in favor. The only real upside is that they generate a lot of local tax revenue because their property value assessments are off the charts.
It seems odd that a vast majority of Americans are suddenly vehemently opposed to massive computer farms, even as we willingly become more dependent on our phones and digital content.
Those opposed generally cite environmental reasons – too much water and energy, as though Greenpeace had suddenly become popular across all demographics. Noise pollution is also cited. But according to information online (probably generated at data centers), the noise level is generally about like a highway – a low-frequency hum. This is the same type of sound that one of the City of Jasper pump stations makes, which angered a single resident this spring. The lone individual tried to force some corrective action, but his neighbors weren’t concerned enough to sign a petition.
President Donald Trump, who generally is successful at driving public opinion, tried to turn the course of anti-data sentiment by posting on his Truth Social, “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.” But this did little to quell the national uproar.
Our sum total hatred of data centers is far greater than our hatred of any specific part. We’d suggest something bigger, vaguer but very legitimate, is driving this vilification of data centers: a growing awareness that society is being wrecked and transformed by over-reliance on tech, making unsavory characters into trillionaires and hurting the rest of us.
We remain enthralled by social media, streaming videos, and access to everything all the time, but deep down, we’re growing aware that this is bad for us.
Whether it’s constant surveillance, fears of widespread job losses, or social media companies damaging young users psychologically to keep them on their sites, more of us are beginning to sense that this digital world is not what was promised.
And this week, the big leaders at AI companies Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Elon Musk agreed that someone needs to put controls in place, as people in the industry warn AI might wipe out humans, as all the sci-fi movies showed.
Unfortunately, there is little we can do to stop the tech overlords from continuing their research paths; maybe they will show some self-restraint before anything apocalyptic happens.
In the meantime, let’s keep hating those data centers for all they represent.
