Social Media as Part of Personal Digital Archives: Exploring Users’ Practices and Service Providers’ Policies Regarding the Preservation of Digital Memories

Social Media as Part of Personal Digital Archives: Exploring Users’ Practices and Service Providers’ Policies Regarding the Preservation of Digital Memories

Personal Archives

Following over a decade of widespread use, social media platforms have evolved into virtual spaces where users create and store meaningful content, suggesting their potential to serve as components of personal digital archives. This article explores users' attitudes and habits concerning the preservation of digital memories on social media. Survey results indicate that users perceive these materials as potentially integral to their personal archives. Despite this recognition, the study reveals a lack of preservation strategies among users. Through an examination of social media platforms' policies concerning user preservation practices, the article proposes the need for heightened awareness among both users and platform providers regarding the risks associated with the fleeting nature of digital content.

Cannelli, Beatrice
Musso, Marta

Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands

2022-06

Katherine Weiss

Journal article

DOI: 10.1007/s10502-021-09379-8

Cannelli, Beatrice, and Marta Musso. “Social Media as Part of Personal Digital Archives: Exploring Users’ Practices and Service Providers’ Policies Regarding the Preservation of Digital Memories.” Archival Science, vol. 22, no. 2, 2022, pp. 259–83, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-021-09379-8.