Brooke Gladstone brings up the idea that we may be subjected to some kind of natural occurrence that may wipe out our electronic data. We're talking something like a sudden enormous solar flare, or the creeping decay of time. Information, if kept digitally only, my not survive a sudden disaster and will certainly not be immune to the decay of time.
Humans have also had a long history of destroying themselves or failing to retain important information with various media types. As we get excited about the technological industry, we leave the old tech behind never caring or worrying about how not to retain information stored on obsolete pieces of technology. Vinyl records might have made their way out of our lives if it hadn't been for the hipsters deciding that it's way cooler to keep them.
Now, we have to remember that when information is lost in these ways, it's not only "big picture" information like a recording of the lunar landing, or scientific data. We also will lose our personal data. Facebook photo albums, digital music, and electronic texts of all kinds. It's possible that, if all digital information is lost, we could be living in conditions similar to the 1400's. As a society we could forget everything.
In a panic, now, about how our digital data could possibly survive? We have retained information before using animal byproducts and resources like whale oil and calf skin, but these methods are not good enough. Digital DNA is a storage method involving using artificial DNA and seems to be very dependable especially when kept in the cold. It can last a very long time.
The problem with digital storage now becomes one of responsibility. What entity should be responsible for spending the money to begin such an intense, expensive project? This is where I start to falter a little. My knee jerk reaction is to put all responsibility on the government, but that means taking more money from us to make that happen. And then, how do we get the cooperation of other governments to work together on this one. Other cultures may not feel that it's important enough, or they may not be willing to work together to make it happen.
Let us hope, together, that we figure this mess out before our day of digital reckoning.
