Social media and the archive: theories, methods, and challenges

The archiving of digital and web-based content is a relatively new practice within the wider context of the archival work carried out by memory institutions in the galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) sector. In recent decades, a demand for the archiving and preservation of social media content has arisen, with social media archives being developed in a number of memory institutions worldwide. The case for the preservation of social media data is strong, as this globally prolific mode of mass communication has a powerful potential to instantaneously disseminate information and document virtually all aspects of human life, with important uses and applications in research and the formation of cultural memory. However, attempts to collect social media data for non-commercial use are faced with unique technological, ethical, and logistical challenges. This dissertation seeks to explore the prevailing ideas, methods, and practices within archival theory and web archiving, and to situate the current landscape of social media archiving in a theoretical and practical framework.