The impermanence of the digital world
Is quite something. An app I had been using for probably 7 or 8 years for guided meditations suddenly shut down a couple months ago, with minimal warning. Their website now leads to an error page, and there is no record of the meditations anywhere. It's almost as if the app never existed in the first place, wiped clean off the face of the earth.
It's unfortunate because I had been toying for quite a while with the idea of finding some way to rip or otherwise download the audio files, so I could have access to them in the case of, say, the app shutting down. I really liked the voice of the lady that led the meditations, and learned a lot of good phrases for guiding meditation in a kind, nonjudgemental way. Unfortunately I never got around to it, although my tech skills likely would not have been up to the task anyway. So this means that those meditation recordings are gone forever, and I can never listen to the audios that taught me techniques like progressive muscle relaxation and abdominal breathing.
Of course, different meditations are available on youtube, but really who can guarantee the permanence of those recordings either, other than people like me who find a way to download them? It's also discouraging to face the reality of having to comb through videos to find one that fits my tastes. Idk, I just wish there was some way I could access the files, or even contact the team behind the app.
I've been seeing a lot of posts lately about piracy being preservation, and I wholeheartedly agree. I would have loved to be able to show people those meditations since they just Got It Right, but before all I could do was recommend the app, and now all I can do is lament what used to be.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is to take this as your call to action, and try to find a way to preserve your favourite piece of media. You never know when the team behind it will suddenly dissolve, and leave nothing behind.
