Digital
Curation in
the Age of
Twitter
Examining the Creation and
Preservation of a Subject-
Centered Collection of Tweets
from the Eighteen Days in Egypt
Credit: Nick Bygon
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Objectives
> Changing Uses of Twitter
> The API and Preservation Principles
> Collection Methodology
> Examples of Tweets from the Revolution in Egypt
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Tweets for History
> Twitter I, II & III (‘Debanalizing Twitter’, Rogers 2013)
> The Subject-Centered Collection
> #jan25
Credit: AP Photo/Amr Nabil
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> GET search/tweets (REST API)
/ 180 requests per 15 minutes at 100 results per
request = 18,000 tweets per 15 minutes
> GET statuses/user_timeline (REST API)
/ Can capture a user's tweets up to past 3,200
> Stream APIs
The APIs
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Preservation Risks &
Principles
> Our Goals
> A Double Construction
> Preserving Methodology
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Collection Methodology
> Scope
/ Location, Time
/ Qualitative, Quantitative
/ Opinion Leaders
> Search Terms
/ Common vs. niche hashtags
/ #Jan25 or #7uriyya
Credit: MEHR
> Collection Issues
/ Spam
/ Vernacular (Rais/Ra'is)
/ Veracity
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Examples
Calls for Collective Action
Call for March of Millions on
Sunday, Tuesday, Friday! #Egypt
#Jan25
people join us at Tahrir sq. Our
numbers are sharply decreasing
and we're exhausted #egypt
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Fundraising
Please support https://
secure.avaaz.org/en/egypt_blackout/
to help get #Egypt back online. If
you can't donate please RT. Thanks
Help fund more SAT uplinks. Donate $$
to help Tor get Non-state controlled
#internet access to #Egypt! Please
donate --->http://ow.ly/3NJ6z
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Pls RT: #NYC joins million man march
for #Egypt Tue, 4-6 PM, Egyptian
Consulate, 58th & 2nd. #Mubarak
On my way now to US embassy in
London for #solidarity demo with
#Egypt revolution #jan25 #tahrir
Transnational Solidarity
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Helio: Mostafa 0103778585. Maadi:
Marwa 0100057579. Mohd: Aya
0123337815. Zamalek: Dina 0123337815
Please circulate #Egypt
@wikileaks_pp: DNS -> 8.8.8.8 /
Twitter->; "128.242.240.52"
Facebook->"69.63.189.34" Google->;
"72.14.204.99" #Egypt
Proxy Server Access
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Reports of Censorship
i was just very briefly detained by
army at egyptian museum. they let me
go but mokhabarat stole my camera.
#Egypt #Jan25
Hotel security just entered our room
and told us we are not allowed to
have cameras on balcony #Egypt #6pm
Citizen Reportage
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Reports of Corruption
Video Confession #Jan25 Man paid
£5000 by Ministry to wreak havoc in
Cairo protests http://f24.my/dK0EOh
#Egypt
In Tahrir square i SAW captured
thugs admitting they were paid LE100
to protest & others with ID's of
police officers #egypt
Citizen Reportage
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> Cultural literacy is critical to collection methodology
> Preservation is centered on recording collection
actions
> "Preserving the Voices of Revolution" / The American
Archivist, Fall/Winter 2014.
Conclusion