Digital Dark Age

Digital Dark Age

For thousands of years, we humans have kept records. We have carved on walls and rocks, carved on tablets and stones, and written on leaves. Many of these records have survived to this day; as we have used them to read, learn about, and understand our history and ancestors. The invention of printing made writing records much easier and faster. Information that changed the world had been printed on paper, and some of this information too survived till this day. In the 20th century, we began keeping records and saving information in a different way: technological, computerized and digital format. This way of keeping information included media such as pictures or films. Henceforth, different programs have been made and information was kept as electronic documents. This method had made information simple to store, access and share. Our ways have evolved to this day, where the storing capacity can be described as infinite. From 2 GB USBs to the 6 TB-saving UltraStar He6, storage devices have not failed us in storing our records.

Right now we live in a time where most of our lives are characterized by these storing technological devices. What if this information, stored as it is, is no longer readable? How will future historians read records about our present civilization like we have read from past civilizations? What if a digital dark age falls upon us just like the Middle Ages, but only this time it is a lack of digital records?

We have invented devices and ways to store information, but we have overlooked a vital point: we have not thought of practical methods to preserve this information, to keep this information easily accessible, to prevent it from disappearing off the face of Earth. Computer saved information ...

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...y disk.

This is a time where we rely mostly on digital forms of information. This information may not be so important, or it may be crucially critical and pivotal. In either case, this information we rely on must be saved and kept easily accessible, for our sake of re-accessing them and for the sake of future historians who will study our civilizations. They will realize that technology was a major factor in shaping our lives and therefore will need the information that is stored digitally to understand us and learn about us. Therefore we must try our best to store our information in the most recent forms, and try to rebuild devices that read older information to make sure it does not disappear.

Works Cited

Kuny, Terry. A Digital Dark Age? Challenges in the Preservation of Electronic Information. September 4, 1997.