How technology empowers users to control information lifespan
The internet is an epochal change in how information spreads, is accessed, and expires. Before the Internet, information largely spread through word of mouth or mass media like newspapers, radio, or television broadcasts. Access to information was limited to those mediums or physical locations like books in a library. Once the information was “published” via those legacy mediums, its lifespan was out of the individual’s control.
Decentralizing publication power
Pre-internet, distribution of information required access to printing presses or broadcasting infrastructure and staff. Publication and distribution were concentrated in a few media institutions like newspapers, book publishers, radio, and TV stations. The high cost of presses, broadcasting tech, infrastructure, etc created a capital barrier that limited an individual’s ability to distribute information.
what is privnote? The Internet and web technology have decentralized that gatekeeping power. Today, any person with an internet connection and electronic device distributes information globally for negligible costs. Platforms like social media networks, content sites, and personal websites/blogs have further democratized users’ ability to publish content across the globe. This shift of publishing power from centralized media institutions to the hands of common users is a prime example of technological empowerment.
Automating expiration with disappearing content
The major way technology empowers users to limit content lifespan is through automated expiration tools. A quintessential example is the rise of disappearing or ephemeral content like Snapchat Stories or Instagram Stories that expire after 24 hours. The temporary nature of such disappearing content is hardwired into apps via automated expiration settings. For instance, Snapchat and Instagram Stories automatically delete posts after 24 hours regardless of how viral they become. Users have no option to prolong their lifespan even if they would like to.
This automated deletion is built into apps to encourage more authentic, casual sharing without worrying about consequences down the line. And clearly, there is demand for self-destructing content given Snapchat alone has over 300 million monthly users of its iOS app predominated for its expiring Stories feature, as per 2022 data. The popularity of ephemeral apps indicates people value the control automated expiration gives them over their content they dictate if and when it disappears. Neither the app nor other users viewing Stories override that expiration. So automated expiration gives users more control over their digital footprint and information trail.
Managing discoverability
Discoverability refers to how easily information be found online, whether via search engines like Google or within social media feeds. The internet provides users multiple avenues to limit content discoverability when they feel its lifespan should expire.
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter allow users to proactively delete their old posts. YouTube also enables users to delete uploaded videos caps the lifespan if they have few existing views. Web platforms also empower users to retroactively limit content visibility without deleting it. For example, Google allows site owners to remove pages from its search index while keeping the content live. A page-blocking site change or no index Meta tag prevents search engine bots from continuing to index that page. So even if the page remains live search visitors no longer discover it via Google.