One lucky writer over at Walletpop recently got an invitation to the D.C. for a tour of the Twitter reserve. That’s right — there’s a whole archive of every single tweet ever set as “public,” all recently obtained by the Library of Congress. Apparently, the IT folks handling the job aren’t even Twitterers themselves, but they do keep their fingers crossed that the massive server can handle the load and not lose what may end up being a historian’s treasure trove.
Imagine how cool it would be to look back on every passing thought from the past. An ancient Egyptial: “@pharaoh, can we get a union up in this joint?” Or a mid-14th century European: “We’re droppin’ like fleas out there #plague”. Future scholars will be able to pick apart a cultural narrative in an altogether revolutionary way. Though Lindsay Lohan‘s latest rants may not translate as social progress, at least the BP poser showcases our collective sense of humor in the midst of catastrophe. And as we’ve reported, the microblogging site has resulted in some, er, weird and wonderful things.
Personally, I happen to love the comment section on the Walletpop article far more than the story itself. Readers are irate that their public tweets and comment boards might not be for their eyes only. Beware The Man, they warn! They’re stripping our privacy! Really guys? Really? You were under the impression that tweeting your every move in an online forum is utterly private? “@haters, no dice”
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons.
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