Flickr Foundation

Fabricated images vs the Historical Record.

*Death Is Not an Edge Case* 82% of Flickr members have thought about digital legacy. Only 12% have done anything about it. Today the Flickr Foundation publishes research into how people feel about their photographs, their Flickr accounts, the communities they've built there, and what it means to think seriously about their long-term future. Based on 2,400 survey responses, 20 in-depth interviews, and three global forums, one thing is clear: people care deeply, platforms mostly don't, and the gap between those two things is growing. Key recommendations for Flickr (and any platform holding personal content at scale): 1. Very long-term subscriptions: 10, 20, even 50-year Pro accounts 2. Nuanced legacy contacts: not just next-of-kin, but the people who actually care about the work 3. Proactive archive configuration: so people can shape how they're remembered, on their own terms 4. Donation pathways to cultural institutions: because some of this content is already history People have been building something remarkable on Flickr for over twenty years. They deserve tools that take that seriously. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/eeyyY_WW Researched and written by Fattori M., edited by George Oates. Licensed under CC BY 4.0, https://lnkd.in/gSGghecW

In case you missed it, we've been hit by funding strife like many other US non-profits, so we’ve decided to reduce the programming of the Flickr Foundation to weather the current funding storm. Here's the blog post in full, from our Executive Director, George Oates, for your information... --- 2026: Simplifying our Strategy In spite of our usual positive tone in newsletters and blog posts, 2025 was a hard year for us. We watched infrastructure for arts & culture and non-profits in the US collapse, and each of our funding proposals with it. We’ve consulted with peers in the philanthropic and federal arenas and mostly heard the advice to hunker down and hold out for as long as possible. We’re staring down the end of our financial runway and must make adjustments. Late last year, I presented two options to our Board: close down, or slow down. I’m very glad to report that nobody wants to close down the Flickr Foundation, so we are figuring out what slowing down is going to mean practically. It makes sense to shift the configuration of our programs and the team in order to weather the storm. We’re one of many organisations faced with doing this kind of manoeuvre. Therefore, we’re going to reduce our programming to focus solely on the maintenance and development of the Flickr Commons. The much-loved program remains active and vibrant, with new members joining the program, and thousands of new photos to enjoy every week. Our team will also get smaller, with some of us moving to part-time roles. This also means any donations we receive will fund Flickr Commons directly, as that work is our focus going forward. We’re still planning the finer details of this transition phase, and we’ll keep in touch on that in the coming weeks. It’s important to us that the work we’ve done in other programs, including the Data Lifeboat service, finds a new home. We’re also mid-stream on some fascinating research on personal digital legacy that we intend to share in March. On a personal note, it actually proved a relief for me to think about this tough moment in the context of the 100-year plan. What feels like a storm today transmutes into a little bump in a century timeframe.

Fantastic and encouraging to see our development of the Data Lifeboat enter the academic publishing arena. Congratulations, Fattori M.! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🍎

Flickr Commons is eighteen today. 🎉 We started in 2008 in partnership with the Library of Congress and today we're an archive of 1.9 million digital images, all of which are available with no known copyright restrictions. Please enjoy a few random images and explore on your own using our Commons Explorer tool. 🎂 https://lnkd.in/g7k-rwpm

Winter Research Fellow Oreoluwa Akinyode shares their powerful midpoint reflections in text and audio, accompanied by scanned photo prints of Oreoluwa's Big Daddy Dipo Akinwande's photography of his brother Ebenezer Akinwande along with Adeosun Olamide's photography uploaded on Flickr. Read more at https://lnkd.in/giG-Mbj4

Introducing Data Lifeboat beta! We are continuing to improve our new Flickr archiving tool so saving your Flickr memories is easier than ever.

Curious about Data Lifeboat? The latest Flickr blog post will give you a quick introduction to get you started!

We hosted a workshop on digital legacy in the social media age at this year's Mozilla Festival. Shout out to some of our festival highlights, who showcased the brilliant work they’re doing and for teaching us the true spirit of unlearning (this year’s theme). Ruha Benjamin, Internet Exchange, CHAYN, Superbloom, 7amleh - The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media Read more: https://lnkd.in/gvXFwMjy

When you upload a photo to Flickr, you’re not just sharing an image, you’re contributing to a living cultural record. Data Lifeboat ensures that your photographs won't be lost to time by creating a lightweight, usable archive that can travel safely into the future. It's designed to keep invaluable context close by - that's usually the first thing to disappear when we throw piles of digital stuff around. Create your Flickr archive today at https://lnkd.in/e4fX52Ax!