This poster presents a critical analysis of the global phenomenon of real-time digital archiving. Therefore, we are looking at ongoing research projects that connect on a network of efforts to understand the modern phenomenon of documenting historical events in real time using digital technologies. Since the globalization of the internet and the widespread access to personal gadgets, collective events have been increasingly documented in real time by individuals and communities (Pons 2022; Brennan and Kelly 2009). Even more so in recent years, with the explosive growth of social media platforms, documentation has become more immediate, diverse, and decentralized (Noiret 2022). The cases of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine (following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022) stand out as significant examples of this proliferation (Marino et al. 2023; Marino and Nicodemo 2022; Shumylovych et al. 2022; КДІ, n.d.). Each has resulted in the emergence of numerous digital archives that leverage different techniques, types of documents, and multiple actors – from cultural heritage institutions to anonymous actors and grassroots community-driven projects.

We argue that these archives are not merely repositories of data but sites of political and ethical engagement .

In this sense, we propose a deep dialogue with authors debating sensitive and political dimensions of archives in the past few decades, such as (Caswell 2021; Cook 2013; Hamilton et al. 2002).

They confront the trauma of catastrophe while challenging traditional historiographical concepts: archive , memory , testimony , evidence , and justice . The digital transformation has enabled a fluid, non-linear construction of time , where past, present, and future are interwoven through community narratives (Erll 2020). This is particularly evident in the emotional and sensitive dimension of pandemic records, which express collective grief, resilience, and historical wounds (Recuber 2012).

Although studies about such archives have been slowly growing, there remains a lack of comprehensive overviews capable of exploring the main challenges of this archiving phenomenon on a global scale. Our poster, created by scholars directly involved in studying and constructing digital archives of this nature in Latin America and Europe (Marino et al. 2023; “LivArch,” n.d.), offers such a historical overview – which is crucial for understanding the meaning of the ongoing transformation in which digital technologies play an increasingly central role.

Among the topics discussed in the poster are: examples that show the diverse uses of digital technologies, highlighting features of community engagement (via crowdsourcing, social media, informality); the challenges of digital preservation and the need to establish policies for properly archiving such collections; the notion of archive, its shifts and usability in the context of digital projects documenting events in real time in the 21st century; and the globality of the phenomenon, exploring similarities and inequalities on a global scale, highlighting the shared strategies and regional disparities. Additionally, the poster addresses the fact that such archives usually revolve around catastrophic and traumatic events, displaying their potential for reimagining the role of digital technologies and the very notion of archive, focusing on community engagement, resilience, and the democratization of memory.

In summary, this poster underscores that the act of archiving itself during global crises becomes a form of historical agency and it aims to provide a panoramic view digital real-time documentation and archiving practices, comprehensively debating from early experiments to contemporary projects, and interrogating the implications of community participation, technological mediation, and preservation challenges. By centering community participation, digital technologies, and ethical reflection, these projects redefine the archive as a living, evolving, and democratic space – profoundly reshaping the future of history, memory, and justice in the digital age. In doing so, it seeks to foster dialogue about the future of digital archiving and of history itself, delving into the ethical and practical dimensions of these new models, and their impact on collective memory-making, especially during moments of global crisis and uncertainty.