Well, fret no more. The US Library of Congress has announced that it will keep an archive of all tweets made on the microblogging service Twitter since March 2006. Yep, that means all the tweets you've sent out - from the most mundane "I'm having enchiladas for lunch" to the most profound "just discovered Angelina Jolie's face is really asymmetrical" will be immortalized in the august archives of the largest library in the world. The LOC made this announcement in its very own Twitter and Facebook pages before the official press release was circulated to the world. A very fitting, a courant approach for a library that has been around since the 1800s.
Response will be most likely ambiguous from the over 75 million Twitter users worldwide. Tweet preservationists might rejoice, but everyday users guilty of sending out the craziest, most drunken, incriminating tweets can only collectively cringe with dread. Before you despair, here's a comforting thought - the LOC has promised it will only highlight the historically and culturally important tweets, like President Obama's "This is history" message. The rest will just go into the LOC's 167-terabyte online archive for the perusal of sociologists, researchers, and the occasional tweet voyeur.
Personally, I've never sent a tweet in my life. Right now though I'm tempted to start my very own Twitter account if only to indulge my vainglory. Who knows, my great-great-great grandchildren might find it amusing someday.
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