Every Byte Counts

Overbrowsing is an applied research group focused on advancing sustainable web practices. Established as part of doctoral research at The University of Edinburgh's Institute for Design Informatics, we blend inquiry with action to develop research-driven solutions that reduce the environmental impact of the internet and improve accessibility, aligning technological potential with environmental stewardship.

The term “browsing” originates from herbivores feeding, and similarly, “overbrowsing” in nature occurs when consumption exceeds the capacity of environmental resources. This shared origin parallels the unsustainable excesses of the web, aligning with the group's mission.

Action is Long Overdue

Digitalisation's promise of dematerialisation has not yet materialised, as the internet, the world's largest machine, contributes to 3.7% of global carbon emissions, twice the emissions of the aviation industry. Every additional byte of data on the web has a direct environmental impact, stemming not only from energy consumption but also from the resources it consumes, including water, land, and materials for data transmission, storage, and delivery. Since 2010, the median desktop page size has grown by 465.2%, while mobile pages have increased by 1530.2%.

With over 5.5 billion internet users worldwide (68% of the global population), and an average annual growth rate of 4%, the energy consumption of the internet is of increasing concern. Hoesung Lee, Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), highlighted the importance of decisive action, stating that "Every bit of warming matters. Every year matters. Every choice matters," and with that, every byte matters.

Pruner.js: A Responsive Image Javascript Utility

Inspired by the practice in horticulture—the targeted removal of unhealthy or unwanted parts of a plant to promote healthier growth—pruning addresses the challenges of HTML5.1 responsive images, which rely on multiple versions for specific viewports but often result in errors, complex markup, and what we term pixel waste—image data extending beyond the visible aperture—by adapting to different viewport sizes.