Twitter’s potential collapse could wipe out vast records of recent human history

Almost from the time the first tweet was posted in 2006, Twitter has played an important role in world events. The platform has been used to record everything from the Arab Spring to the ongoing war in Ukraine. It's also captured our public conversations for years. But experts are worried that these rich seams of media and conversation could be lost forever if Elon Musk tanks the company. Given his admission to employees that Twitter could face bankruptcy, it’s a real and present risk. Musk himself acknowledges that Twitter is a public forum, which makes the potential loss of the platform so significant. Twitter has become integral to modern civilization. It’s a place where people document war crimes, discuss key issues, and break and report on the news. It is a living, breathing historical document.