This page is a dedicated to my critical review of a digital humanities platform or tool.
Introduction
In today’s digital age, using digital tools and platforms has become ubiquitous in almost all spheres of life. From education to work or even entertainment, digital tools have made our lives more convenient, efficient and straightforward than ever before. However, not all digital tools are created equal and promise functionality where it’s due. This is where a critical review of digital tools comes in. The primary objective of this assignment is to appreciate and evaluate the tools or methods available for our needs in the world of digital humanities. As a university student, assignments and papers require extensive research, it has become more important than ever to have access to tools that can help with research. In light of this, I have chosen to critically analyse the “Wayback Machine”. This tool has become invaluable to me and many other researchers searching for archived content.
Background
The Wayback Machine (https://archive.org/web/) is a website containing the digital archives of the World Wide Web which is based on proprietary technology primarily maintained by the Internet Archive. This non-profit organisation is based in San Francisco, California, and was conceived in 2001. This website has since become one of the world’s most comprehensive archives on the internet, with an impressive archive of 788 billion web pages holding a staggering 99 petabytes (1000 terabytes per petabyte) of data over 20 years of web history stored in its database. Based on my research about the Wayback Machine, numerous articles have been on this digital tool. I have skimmed through the most prevalent articles which mostly highlighted how this tool has been monumental in preserving web pages and other online content that might have otherwise been lost. Although some articles have pointed out the challenges of archiving the Internet with such a vast amount of data being stored. One might be concerned about the dynamic nature of balancing accessibility and privacy with the intellectual property of others (“What Is the Wayback Machine, and Why Is It Important?”).
The Wayback Review
In regards to using the website, I would say that it is pretty straightforward for the average user. The site is easy to navigate, with a simple search bar that allows users to enter a URL or keyword to find archived web pages from different points in the past. Once the user has entered the desired webpage or keyword, it will show the results and date on which users can choose the site until the day it was last captured. Although when searching for archived web pages, it might take a few minutes to load as it is based on the first-come-first-serve model. I would say that one of the key strengths of the Wayback Machine is its available tools on site, there is a wide variety of tools available for data analysis such as web services and APIs (Application Programming Interface) on the home page. In addition, this website was run by a non-profit organisation on the basis that it allows users to use the site freely without paying a subscription fee. Thankfully, it doesn’t require the user to create an account or log in which makes it hassle-free for users to access the site’s content and use its tools for research and analysis. Its founder Brewster Kahle truly values the free resource and accessibility of information for working people. Although the website’s free, the organisation has implemented a donate button for anyone wishing to support the website’s work and development in the future.
Projects & Documentation
The Wayback Machine has a wide variety of uses across multiple fields. One example is journalism, which it has been used to fact-check stories and track changes in new coverage by accessing archived versions of news articles and web pages. Another example is law, where lawyers have used the Wayback Machine to provide evidence in intellectual property, trademark infringement, and defamation cases. The Wayback Machine is a well-documented digital tool, with FAQ page criteria. The website also prioritises and clearly outlines its copyright and intellectual property policies. All of this information is easily accessible on the main page, along with a contact link for inquiries (“Internet Archive: About IA”).
Archive. today
As we all know the Wayback Machine is a well-known archiving website with billions of archived web pages in its storage. However, we have other alternatives or competitors available on the Internet. One of the two similar tools to the “Wayback Machine” that I will be comparing is a website called Archive. today (https://archive.is/). Similar to the Wayback Machine, archive. today is a website archiving tool that allows users to take screenshots of previous websites and save them for future reference. (“archive. today – Wikipedia”). The website is easy to use and quite simple to navigate with a bright red search bar in the middle of the page for users to enter a URL or keyword. Archive. today also doesn’t require logging in or registering to use the website. Although Archive. today has a large selection of archived web pages in its database, but it lacks features in terms of tools for data extraction and analysis compared to the Wayback Machine. It is also restrictive in terms of the amount of archived content, as the website has been inclined to have inconsistencies with its archived data. This requires the user to verify the accuracy and completeness of archived pages before using them for research or any other purposes. In essence, Archive.today is a good tool for searching archived content with a simple and easy-to-use interface as well as a reasonable collection of archived content in its storage. Unfortunately, it loses out in terms of tools for researching and inconsistencies with its archived web pages.
Perma.cc
Another tool similar to the Wayback Machine is a website called (https://perma.cc/). Perma is an archiving website that aims to preserve old or rotting websites (“Perma.cc Stops Scholarly Link Rot”). It allows users to deposit a URL into its permanent collection called a Perma Record. Once submitted, users will receive a unique and permanent link which will last forever in its archive. Perma is particularly popular amongst academic institutions and libraries for creating permanent citations for online materials, as it makes it valuable for students who need to cite online sources. Users can also customise the links they create by adding footnotes or other forms of metadata. This gives users more flexibility in knowing more context about the archived content in the links, this customisation is unfortunately not present in the Wayback Machine. Sadly, Perma does have its downsides, the first of which is its cost. Unlike the Wayback Machine, Perma uses a subscription-based service that requires users to pay a fixed annual amount ranging from $10 for 100 new links to $100 for 500 new links (“Subscription Tiers for Perma-Harvard.edu”). However, users who want to try the service could with 10 links available upon registration. One of the reasons they charge users is that they relied on third-party systems such as Internet Archive and Amazon Web Services to store and host archived content. This may pose a problem for individuals who may not have the resources to pay for the service. Nevertheless, Perma is a useful tool for creating permanent links to web pages for academic institutions and libraries as well as other digital content. It is limited by its pay-to-use service and limited functionality due to its reliance on third-party systems.
Final thoughts
After using the Wayback Machine for several days, I would highly recommend it to anyone in search of archived material. This impressive digital tool has preserved billions of web pages over the years and has proven to be an invaluable resource for researchers, journalists and the general public seeking historical web content. However, while the Wayback Machine is undoubtedly a remarkable tool, it is not without its limitations. Occasionally, it may not capture every version of a webpage, resulting in missing or incomplete pages. The website’s interface can also be improved as sometimes feels clunky and outdated. Regular fixes and updates to the website could easily address these issues, along with a more modern appearance. Despite these limitations, the Wayback Machine remains an essential digital tool that offers a glimpse into the internet’s past. I believe it will continue to be a key resource for researchers and historians for years to come.
References
“What Is the Wayback Machine, and Why Is It Important?” How-To Geek, 19 Apr.2022,www.howtogeek.com/789504/what-is-the-Wayback-machine-and-why-is-it-important.
Walsh, Ronan. “10 Wayback Machine Alternatives – Digital Trawler.” Digital Trawler, 26 May 2021, digitaltrawler.com/10-wayback-machine-alternatives.
“archive.today – Wikipedia.” archive.today – Wikipedia, 16 May 2012, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archive.today.
Clare. “Introducing Individual Account Subscription Tiers for Perma.” Perma.cc Blog, 7 Jan. 2019, blogs.harvard.edu/perma/2019/01/07/introducing-individual-account-subscription-tiers-for-perma.
“Perma.cc Stops Scholarly Link Rot.” Perma.cc Stops Scholarly Link Rot | Opensource.com, opensource.com/article/17/9/stop-link-rot-permacc.
