Episode Details

Having thousands of photos, songs and films available at our fingertips would have seemed amazing just a few decades ago, but how long will these files last for and be available? Could the digitalisation of cultural artefacts now be putting a time limit on our memories?

就在几十年前，拥有数千张照片、歌曲和电影触手可及似乎令人惊叹，但这些文件能持续多久并可用？ 文物的数字化现在是否会对我们的记忆施加时间限制？

The materials that phones and computers are made of can decay over time, impacting the data that they store. Images can still be seen in faded photographs, but when digital data degrades, it can quickly make it impossible to even open a file.  Also, as formats and devices become obsolete, it may become impossible to read files from previous decades.

手机和电脑的制造材料会随着时间的推移而腐烂，影响它们存储的数据。 在褪色的照片中仍然可以看到图像，但是当数字数据退化时，它很快就会导致甚至无法打开文件。 此外，随着格式和设备的过时，可能无法读取过去几十年的文件。

Storing information in the cloud can also present problems. Large companies can still lose data. In 2019, social media platform MySpace admitted losing more than 12 years' worth of users' music uploads. The widespread use of streaming services for music, TV and film means that people no longer own the content that they watch and listen to, they just pay for the right to access it. If streaming companies decide to remove content, or go out of business, users will lose access.