methodology

01 The headline number

All visitors with the same clock see the same total. The counter is evaluated from a UTC timestamp and the configuration; elapsed browser frames never accumulate into it.

Each year contributes its configured volume. Within a year, the rate grows exponentially, normalised so that the integral equals that year’s total.

A is the annual total, k is the following year’s total divided by this year’s, T is the number of seconds in the year, and τ is the time elapsed. When k = 1, the formula becomes linear. The headline adds the completed years to the current year’s integral. Leap days are included; leap seconds are ignored.

Missing years are interpolated geometrically between known totals. After 2029, the final known annual ratio is extended forward. The cumulative total is continuous at year boundaries; the rate can change there because adjacent forecasts imply different growth curves.

The 1999–2014 values are approximate and contribute 3.66% of the launch total. The earliest years are back-extrapolations, not independent measurements.

02 The categories

Category counters begin at 2026-09-19 with a zero offset unless an offset is configured. Their byte totals use assumed average file sizes. Six newer categories use dated published activity figures held flat; their AI attribution is unknown, so they are excluded from the origin calculation. They overlap, are illustrative, and do not add up to the headline.

Average sizes

03 AI-generated and other data

AI images, videos, songs and assistant exchanges have a machine weight of 1. Streaming uploads have a weight of 0.5; the original other-data categories have a weight of 0. New categories with unknown attribution have no weight and are excluded from both the numerator and denominator. “Other” is the remaining model bucket, not verified human authorship: ordinary messages and posts may also be automated.

A reported Deezer example informed the 50/50 streaming assumption, but one service’s share is not proof of an industry-wide split. AI assistant exchanges include a human prompt. Generated songs can later be uploaded, so the categories are not mutually exclusive.

At launch, this model yields 0.5920% AI-generated by bytes across the selected categories. It does not estimate the machine share of the entire global datasphere.

The picture readout divides the combined rate of Instagram posts, Stories and Snaps by the AI-image rate: 54.96 platform items per AI image at launch. Because some platform items are videos and can overlap, this is not a measured fraction of unique new pictures.

The song readout divides AI-song generation by all streaming uploads: 46.55 at launch. It says “streaming upload” because the denominator includes the configured AI share; describing it as a human-only upload would be incorrect.

04 Growth assumptions

Annual growth rates are modelling choices, not sourced predictions. The baseline is 2026-09-19. Most human categories grow slowly; YouTube upload hours remain flat. The initial doubling of several AI rates represents a period of rapid adoption, with greater uncertainty than the headline series.

For any category with a growth multiplier above 1.5, the instantaneous annual multiplier decays linearly toward 1.2 over 5 years. It then stays at that floor. This keeps totals increasing while avoiding indefinite doubling.

Y is 31,557,600 seconds. The logarithmic growth integral is evaluated analytically. Item totals use 64-slice Simpson integration within the decay period, then an exact exponential tail. Categories without decay use a closed-form integral. Times before the baseline clamp to the baseline.

Values and origin ratios in a frame use the same timestamp. A bounded cache reduces repeated work; it does not accumulate totals. Hidden tabs stop rendering and recompute from the wall clock when visible again.

05 Units

Explore the visual Units of Measure guide ↗

Decimal is the default: 1 TB = 10¹² bytes, 1 YB = 10²⁴ bytes. Binary uses powers of 1,024: 1 TiB = 2⁴⁰ bytes. This preference changes compact labels; the full byte integer and the model stay the same.

Saved on this device when browser storage is available.

06 Known gaps

The following forms of media are visible on the counter page without invented totals. “No reliable estimate” means this model has no verified, comparable creation rate; it does not mean zero activity.

• The global datasphere includes offline, enterprise and device data, as well as copies and consumption. It is broader than the internet.
• TikTok uses a historical one-day research sample from April 2024, not a current platform disclosure. WordPress covers only its publishing network. Neither represents all social media or web pages.
• Email is a vendor projection. File sizes vary enormously. Category inputs mix dates, reporting scopes and secondary estimates.
• This version uses 149 ZB for 2024; the linked secondary table currently says 147 ZB. That discrepancy is retained and disclosed so the version remains reproducible.
• Some linked platform and 2026 media claims have not been independently verified for this model version. Source notes identify these limitations; a working link does not validate a claim.
• Forecasts are uncertain, especially far beyond the last refresh. The counter depends on the device’s clock. A clock adjustment can move the displayed total backward.

07 Change log

2026-09-19.1
Added TikTok posts, podcast episodes, WordPress posts, Reddit discussions, GitHub commits and Twitch broadcasts, with dated sources and explicit size assumptions. Unmeasured media are listed as gaps. Unknown origins are excluded from the AI-share denominator. Headline and original category baselines are unchanged.

2026-09-19
Initial model: annual datasphere estimates, eleven category counters, origin weights and growth decay. Source limitations recorded.

08 Colophon

Memory Loss is a digital artwork at chorus.computer, inspired by the National Debt Clock.