Archives in the making: documenting the January 6 capitol riot on Reddit

Abstract

Abstract Through a case study of the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot, this paper looks at how Reddit users came together to document what they perceived as a significant historical event in United States history. By comparing how three subreddits selected content for archiving and the discussions they sparked, this paper contributes a perspective about how archiving efforts are carried out by everyday internet users and how researchers might put these efforts to use in the future. Studying everyday internet users’ compulsion to document reveals not only their approaches to archiving, but also how they are experiencing a historical event. “Rogue archiving” has saved what might otherwise be lost to content removals and overnight website closures. But even rogue archiving groups have set processes and structures which enable them to produce web and digital archives. What about archiving efforts that are even more informal and spontaneous? On Reddit, people responded to January 6 by self-organising archiving efforts, thereby revealing logics to and motivations for archiving—and their reactions to the day’s events.