Do you ever contemplate what happens when content on the internet starts to mysteriously vanish? Can our culture withstand the enigmatic disappearance of websites, leaving footprints of lacunas where content once thrived?
Photo by Leon Seibert on Unsplash
These questions are not unique. A recent Pew Research Center study discovered that 38 percent of webpages accessible back in 2013 have now seemingly disappeared. This occurrence is attributable to entire websites becoming non-existent, linked URL changes, or simple page take-downs. The digital world, once overflowing with information, is slowly turning into a series of gaping voids, places where rich content used to exist.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Consequence of Lost Webpages on Identity
As we are swept into a content era where everyone, even your grandparent, can be a “content creator,” we are witnessing the instability of the internet world as websites rise and fall, swallowed by private equity or simply frozen in time. Have you ever wondered if the common advisement “the internet is forever” is merely a myth?
Photo by Emily Rudolph on Unsplash
While it’s partially true that employers and enemies could unearth your worst internet moments, it’s equally probable that things could disappear just as if they never were. Items are regularly erased on the internet, often quite abruptly. The sensation of our digital identities vanishing, the struggles to maintain control over our data, and the realizations that our digital rights have disappeared is unsettlingly close to home for many.
The Ephemeral Nature of the Internet
The idea that everything ever posted on the internet remains there forever is becoming less of a reality. With data constantly disappearing, we should no longer view the internet as an indestructible entity. Your existence on the internet may diminish entirely as platforms abruptly close, delete content, or lock us out of our accounts.
Photo by Stephen Dawson on Unsplash
It feels like we’re watching humans subtly disappear behind a screen of AI inscrutability and an inherently unstable digital storage environment. What we need now is a conversation about which elements of the internet we value and which components should be forgotten — who among us will be eternally remembered? Our answers will shape our future culture.
Photo by Tomasz Frankowski on Unsplash
Major revisions are needed to our approach toward internet content. We need to focus on preserving our digital memories before they are lost in the whirlwind of AI development and unstable digital storage. We should strive to shape the future of a more stable, reliable internet culture for generations to come.
Concluding Thoughts
Is an internet without disappearing content possible? This challenge represents a decision-making crossroads. Will these decisions be made by private equity or journalists, AI or archivists, billionaires or workers? The way we answer these questions and define our stance today will shape the culture of the internet in the future.
