Why Information on the Internet Disappears After Three Years
Most of the information we rely on through websites is owned and maintained by individuals or private entities. Maintaining these sites requires regular payments for domain names and web hosting. When owners fail to pay their fees, the websites often shut down. Furthermore, if they move the content to other hosting servers, many older links become inaccessible. This raises significant questions about the longevity of the information we find through online searches.
While the internet seems vast and endless, it has physical limitations that are often overlooked. The internet itself is merely a transmission of data, not its storage. Data storage requires physical devices such as servers and hard drives, which have their own constraints. Servers need to be housed in a data center, which comes with the need for a suitable environment for cooling and electric power. These facilities require ongoing maintenance and frequent electricity, which means that someone must pay for it.
Why Websites Shut Down
Non-relevance and Irrelevance: Websites that no longer hold relevance or interest for their audience are more likely to be abandoned or shut down. This is not uncommon in fast-paced industries where trends change rapidly. For example, a website about the latest ski resorts might lose its relevance once people are no longer interested in vacationing there. Similarly, webpages about baby equipment may become obsolete as a visitor's needs evolve. Such information can still exist, but it becomes increasingly difficult to find.
Storage and Data Placement
The internet is often compared to an iceberg, with only the tip visible to most internet users. The vast majority of data is stored in archives, which are not frequently accessed or updated. Archives do not require constant backups or the latest security measures. They are also not publicly visible like live web content, making them less prone to immediate data deletion. This is why many older, less relevant pages remain in archives but are harder to find through regular searches.
Companies and Data Lifecycle
Major tech companies like Facebook and Alphabet have a significant amount of data that they use to serve targeted advertisements. This data must remain relevant and up-to-date to be effective. For instance, ads about baby products would be outdated if posted three years after someone last had a baby. Therefore, companies often clean up their data to remove old content that no longer serves their purpose. This process ensures that users continue to engage with fresh and relevant information.
It is worth noting that even when data is disregarded by these companies, it is still stored in archives. This means that even if a webpage is no longer recommended or actively promoted, the information remains available, albeit potentially harder to find. For example, an electric utility company might store contract data for a decade, but it does not need to keep all that information online for daily public access. Similarly, your billing history is typically kept for seven years, after which it is stored in an archive but not available online.
Understanding these limitations and behaviors can help users and website owners plan more effectively. Website owners need to ensure that their content remains relevant and engaging, while users can be more patient when searching for information that might exist but is no longer actively promoted. By recognizing the constraints of data storage and the internet's transmission capabilities, we can better navigate the vast and ever-changing landscape of online information.