The internet infrastructure, for example, the data centers, is purported to be making substantial damage to the environment. While there are many studies on the national or global interventions and technology developments to minimize environmental damage from the internet, very few have investigated the individual level strategies. This study examines individual‐level strategies, including intrinsic motivation (IM), extrinsic motivation, and price‐based interventions, that internet‐based organizations can implement to minimize the environmental impact of internet usage. The research aims to identify the most effective strategy for reducing individual internet usage after individuals become aware of the environmental consequences. The survey experiment results demonstrate that combining all three strategies proves most effective in mitigating the environmental damage caused by internet usage. Extrinsic motivation is particularly effective, both in combination with other strategies and when utilized independently after raising awareness. The results also depict that when taken individually, price‐based strategies (PPSs) show a lower impact, while IM exhibits the lowest impact on behavior change. Additionally, males exhibit a higher inclination towards extrinsic motivation strategies based on the multi‐group analysis. Remarkably, individuals, regardless of gender, age, income, or level of internet activity, show a willingness to adopt PPSs to decrease internet usage after exposure to an informational video. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of strategies to minimize the environmental impact of individual internet usage.

中文翻译：

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探索减轻互联网环境损害的策略：内在、外在和基于价格的策略调查


据称，互联网基础设施（例如数据中心）对环境造成了重大破坏。虽然有许多关于国家或全球干预措施和技术发展的研究，以尽量减少互联网对环境的破坏，但很少有人调查个人层面的策略。本研究考察了基于互联网的组织可以实施的个人层面策略，包括内在动机 （IM）、外在动机和基于价格的干预措施，以最大限度地减少互联网使用对环境的影响。该研究旨在确定在个人意识到环境后果后减少个人互联网使用的最有效策略。调查实验结果表明，结合所有三种策略被证明在减轻互联网使用造成的环境破坏方面最有效。外在动机特别有效，无论是与其他策略结合使用，还是在提高意识后单独使用。结果还表明，单独来看时，基于价格的策略 （PPS） 的影响较小，而 IM 对行为改变的影响最小。此外，根据多组分析，男性表现出对外在激励策略的更高倾向。值得注意的是，无论性别、年龄、收入或互联网活动水平如何，个人在接触信息视频后都表现出采用 PPS 以减少互联网使用的意愿。这些发现为制定策略以最大限度地减少个人互联网使用对环境的影响提供了宝贵的见解。