When the Web Loses Its Memory

As sites like Tumblr perform mass purges, archivists are fighting a losing battle to save disappearing parts of the internet

Diana poured her passionate fandom into Thorvaenn, her Tumblr account, for years. Marvel and Thor in particular became the primary focus for the GIFs she made, for her meticulous recommendations, and for the fanfiction she created involving Thor and Loki — a coupling known as “Thorki” — in various romantic situations for her 20,000-plus followers.

“My blog was super important to me and to my life,” says Diana, who asked to be identified by just her first name. “It was essentially there for me every waking moment. Any time I was bored or restless or wanted to take my mind off things, I could read something or go to one of my friends and chat about it. For as long as I can remember, I was that person, the one who was into something, who couldn’t just watch or read a thing and move on, but who had to be all deep into it.”

“I had that blog for seven years. I poured so much time into it, so much creative energy.”

Then, one day, it was all gone. On November 22, 2018, her blog was deleted without warning. Hundreds of hours of work and craft were gone in an…