In an era where social media archives have become a treasure trove for researchers and historians attempting to capture the essence of societal change, the U.S. Library of Congress embarked on an ambitious project to archive every public tweet from Twitter’s inception in 2006 until 2017. This massive endeavor was aimed at preserving a broad, unfiltered representation of contemporary society and its evolving discourse. Tweets, which might seem ephemeral to the casual user, represented an ongoing, real-time stream of consciousness and public opinion on a myriad of subjects, effectively charting a dynamic map of human interaction and societal trends over a decade.
However, beginning in 2018, the Library of Congress shifted its strategy significantly. Instead of continuing to archive every tweet, it decided to curate and preserve tweets "on a very selected basis." This marked a distinct move towards a more focused and arguably sustainable approach in the preservation of digital social history. The criteria pivoted to capturing tweets that were deemed to have substantial historical value, such as those pertaining to national elections, significant political events, and key issues related to public policy. This shift reflected a more strategic orientation, recognizing the immense volume of data produced and the need to prioritize resources towards the conservation of tweets that could offer insights into major societal events and shifts.
This selective approach towards archiving tweets might raise various discussions about the criteria used for selection and the implications for historical completeness. While capturing all tweets provides a comprehensive snapshot of the digital zeitgeist, it also involves sifting through a vast amount of data where the significance of much of the content might be minimal. On the other hand, a curated archive runs the risk of excluding voices and perspectives that might later prove relevant for understanding the subtleties of social dynamics and public sentiment.
The ongoing evolution in the policies of the Library of Congress regarding tweet archiving reflects a broader conversation about the role of archiving in the digital age. How do institutions decide what is worth remembering? And how do they adapt to the staggering scale of digital information production? The answers to these questions will likely continue to develop as technology evolves and our relationship with digital content becomes increasingly complex. What remains clear is that the strategies deployed by such institutions in digital conservation will be crucial in shaping how future generations understand the contemporary historical landscape.
