BFI Preserves 430 Viral Videos Including 'Charlie Bit My Finger' in UK Digital Archive
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
BFI Preserves 430 Viral Videos Including 'Charlie Bit My Finger' in UK Digital Archive
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
Summary
Around 430 British viral clips have been added to a British Film Institute archive, from the 2007 hit “Charlie Bit My Finger” to an 11-second meme and a weeklong livestream.
BFI archivists said the collection aims to preserve culturally significant online videos that capture how people lived and expressed themselves across roughly three decades of internet culture.
The archive focuses on videos from Britain, though many spread globally, underscoring how locally made clips became part of a shared online experience.
The preserved videos are available at the BFI’s viewing space in London and online for internet users in Britain, creating a formal home for material that might otherwise disappear.