Decoder with Nilay Patel cover image

Decoder with Nilay Patel

How the Wayback Machine is fighting linkrot

Sep 5, 2024
Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, joins the discussion about the critical issue of link rot and the ongoing effort to preserve internet history. He explains how the Wayback Machine allows users to view snapshots of past websites, combating the loss of digital content. The conversation dives into the challenges of archiving a rapidly changing web landscape, including the impact of closed platforms on access to information and the emotional weight of preserving our online cultural legacy.
44:01

Episode guests

Mark Graham

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is essential for combating digital decay, enabling access to snapshots of the web's lost content.
  • The organization faces ethical challenges regarding copyright and privacy while striving to preserve culturally significant online materials.

Deep dives

Digital Decay and Link Rot

The phenomenon known as digital decay, or link rot, refers to the increasing inaccessibility of online content, with a significant portion of the web disappearing over time. A study revealed that approximately 38% of all links from 2013 are now broken, highlighting that large chunks of online media and culture are no longer available. This issue affects not only older websites from the early internet but also established institutions, resulting in many news outlets and significant journalism lost forever. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need for preservation efforts to combat this loss, particularly as many well-known platforms and publications, like MTV News and Gawker, have vanished without a trace.

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