BFI Archives Internet Memes for 100-Year Preservation Push as Flash, MySpace Losses Expose Digital Fragility
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · May 17
BFI Archives Internet Memes for 100-Year Preservation Push as Flash, MySpace Losses Expose Digital Fragility
1 articles · Updated · Kotaku · May 17
The British Film Institute has begun collecting internet memes and online moving images, adding viral clips and web-native video to its archive through the BFI Replay portal.
The project aims to preserve culturally significant digital works before platforms, formats or files disappear, with the BFI seeking creators’ permission and original raw files rather than simply saving links.
Replay’s early selections include “Badgers,” “Charlie bit my finger” and the Robert Redford nodding GIF, alongside commentary from critics and some original makers.
The archive reaches beyond viral hits to Flash cartoons, grime videos, DIY tutorials, ASMR, machinima and YouTube poops, treating them as part of a broader history of moving-image culture.
Recent losses underscore the risk: Adobe Flash’s 2020 retirement erased swaths of animation and games, while a 2019 MySpace server error wiped music uploaded before 2016.
With AI now creating endless content, how can archivists verify and preserve the authentic digital culture of our time?
When a viral meme is archived as 'history,' does it lose the spontaneous cultural meaning it once held for millions online?
As platforms like TikTok change ownership, who decides which parts of our digital history are saved or lost forever?