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Interesting and well written but I can only disagree with the author. A few months ago, I read the love letters my grand grandfather wrote to my grand grandmoth

Interesting and well written but I can only disagree with the author. A few months ago, I read the love letters my grand grandfather wrote to my grand grandmother when he was at war. I seriously doubt anyone will be able to read the emails I write in 70 years. Besides most of intellectuals of the past centuries were prolific in sending letters to their relatives and we know a lot from them through these letters. I don't expect the same to happen with contemporary writers. Maybe our grand children will be able to get a few pictures from us, that were printed and stored safely...

bryondowd 10y ago
What makes you think digital content won't be preserved in quantity/quality comparable to printed/handwritten content of earlier times? Perhaps private messages and emails are less likely to be preserved after the account-holder is deceased, but pretty much everything you do publicly on Facebook is preserved and accessible to others after your death in a memorialized account. It's not hard to believe that our descendants will be able to casually search through our daily musings and pictures of our dinners and whatnot, either on Facebook if it still exists, or an archived version of it captured before the site is taken down/replaced. I also wouldn't rule out more private writings finding their way along in some form or another. People are often sentimental and keep things that belonged to their loved ones. I recall reading a story not long ago of a man who kept his father's video game save files, with the suggestion that he may try passing them on to his children.
- stinkytaco 10y ago
  But will Facebook exist in 70 years time? Or will it go the way of so many other services. I wonder if the AOL chats I had 20 years ago are somewhere? Or the forum posts on long defunct communities? Or the IRC chats. Now, I want to be clear that many of these things shouldn't be saved. I don't believe that the Internet should be archived, but rather that with physical media the choice is simple: save it or throw it. With the Internet there is less choice and what exists is complex and sometimes out of your control.

bryondowd 10y ago

What makes you think digital content won't be preserved in quantity/quality comparable to printed/handwritten content of earlier times? Perhaps private messages and emails are less likely to be preserved after the account-holder is deceased, but pretty much everything you do publicly on Facebook is preserved and accessible to others after your death in a memorialized account. It's not hard to believe that our descendants will be able to casually search through our daily musings and pictures of our dinners and whatnot, either on Facebook if it still exists, or an archived version of it captured before the site is taken down/replaced. I also wouldn't rule out more private writings finding their way along in some form or another. People are often sentimental and keep things that belonged to their loved ones. I recall reading a story not long ago of a man who kept his father's video game save files, with the suggestion that he may try passing them on to his children.

stinkytaco 10y ago
But will Facebook exist in 70 years time? Or will it go the way of so many other services. I wonder if the AOL chats I had 20 years ago are somewhere? Or the forum posts on long defunct communities? Or the IRC chats. Now, I want to be clear that many of these things shouldn't be saved. I don't believe that the Internet should be archived, but rather that with physical media the choice is simple: save it or throw it. With the Internet there is less choice and what exists is complex and sometimes out of your control.