28th December, 2017
The U.S. Library of Congress is due to cease archiving all public tweets from Dec. 31, opting to only collect selected posts such as those on significant events or social and political developments.
The library began collecting public tweets published on Twitter in 2010; it also retroactively acquired posts on the platform from 2006.
The decision to halt comprehensive archiving was made for a number of reasons, the library said in a report published this month.
The volume of tweets has increased, Twitter has expanded to 280-character tweets and many recent posts contain photos and video, rendering the library’s text-only collection less meaningful.
In spite the library not generally collecting comprehensively across social media, an exception had initially been made for Twitter, the report said.
“Given the unknown direction of social media when the collection of tweets was first planned, the Library made an exception for public tweets.
“With social media now established, the Library is bringing its collecting practice more in line with its collection policies,” it said.
In spite of it no longer collecting tweets, the archive will remain off-limits due to an embargo for an undetermined period.
The library maintains the archive may be a “significant” legacy for the future.
“Future generations will learn much about this rich period in our history, the information flows, and social and political forces that help define the current generation,” it said.