The recent deletion of the archives from the MTV News section of Mtv.com by Paramount Global has sparked a debate on whether blockchain technology could have prevented this loss of decades-worth of cultural history. MTV, a music television channel that was once popular among the youth, saw a decline in relevance with the rise of the internet and ceased to be a musical TV channel in 2010. Since 1985, MTV has been owned by Viacom, which was later restructured into Paramount Global.
The website Mtv.com, known for its news and interviews, had to shut down its news section due to financial constraints, leading to the deletion of its entire twenty-year archive. The disappearance of this archive, which contained a mix of musical and non-musical news, has left many fans lamenting the loss of cultural history. Critics argue that this centralized point of failure highlights the need for decentralization in the digital media landscape, where data could be preserved on a blockchain indefinitely.
The concept of blockchain technology ensures that data stored on a decentralized blockchain cannot be deleted by anyone. However, the cost of storing data on a true decentralized blockchain can be prohibitive, leading to the registration of unique hashes that represent the files. While there are decentralized services that allow the association of files with these hashes, the actual costs of on-chain permanent storage can be quite high, especially for larger files like videos or interviews.
The future of data storage lies in decentralization, despite the challenges and costs associated with on-chain storage. Platforms that offer true storage of entire files on-chain rely on distributed storage across multiple machines, which may not be sustainable for large-scale content storage. While there is a market for on-chain distributed storage, the high costs involved may deter companies like Paramount Global from adopting decentralized solutions for data storage, opting for more cost-effective centralized solutions.
In conclusion, the recent deletion of MTV News archives from Mtv.com highlights the risks of centralized data storage and the potential benefits of decentralization through blockchain technology. While the high costs of on-chain storage present challenges for widespread adoption, the preservation of cultural history and media content remains a driving force behind the push towards decentralization. As the artist Mattia Cuttini aptly puts it, blockchain technology and decentralization are increasingly becoming the future of media, offering a more secure and permanent solution for preserving culture.
