Have you ever caught wind of a controversial tweet that a celebrity posted, only to find they deleted it soon after? Or wondered what a public figure may have tweeted in the past that they didn‘t want people to see? Thanks to internet archiving, you can now uncover deleted tweets on Twitter.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk through step-by-step how to leverage Wayback Machine to dig up tweets that users have removed from Twitter.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
- The power and controversy of resurfacing deleted tweets
- Exactly how Wayback Machine works to archive sites
- A walkthrough process for finding deleted tweets, with images
- Tips and tricks to use Wayback effectively
- Examples uncovering influencers‘ deleted tweets
- An infographic for the 4-step method
- Privacy concerns around internet archiving
Let‘s get started!
Why Retrieving Deleted Tweets Causes Controversy
While digging through someone‘s tweet history may seem invasive to some, being able to resurface deleted tweets also represents the incredible power of internet archiving.
Tweets made by public figures and celebrities carry weight, so when controversial, offense, or hypocritical tweets are uncovered from the pasts of politicians, actors, or businessmen, it often rightly sparks criticism.
According to a 2021 report, over 500,000 tweets are deleted every day, most within the first 30 minutes of posting (source). People regret sending off hastily-made tweets, getting caught making insensitive remarks, or trying to cover up past contradictions.
But on the internet, you can‘t fully erase your tracks. That‘s where Wayback Machine comes in…
How Does Wayback Machine Archive Websites?
Wayback Machine is a non-profit digital archive that uses web crawlers to regularly capture snapshots of over 468 billion webpages spanning over 26 years across the internet.
Their automated systems browse through public websites and save copies of pages along the way. For a heavily-trafficked site like Twitter, their archives are especially thorough.
So if someone doesn‘t have privacy settings enabled or deletes a tweet after it‘s already been archived, Wayback Machine allows us to essentially go back in time and view the past.
Now let me walk you through just how to leverage it to access deleted tweets:
Step 1: Navigate to Wayback Machine
First, head to the Wayback Machine site by Googling it or going directly to archive.org. Once on the home page, you‘ll see the search bar where we‘ll input our Twitter profile URL to browse.
Step 2: Enter the Twitter User‘s Profile URL
In the search bar, copy and paste the link to whoever‘s deleted tweet you want to try finding. This must direct to their Twitter profile URL.
For example, if we wanted to find a deleted Elon Musk tweet, we‘d input:
https://twitter.com/elonmusk
Then click enter or the "Browse History" button.
Step 3: Select Date Range to Browse
On the next page, Wayback Machine shows a calendar view with colored dots marking dates it has archives captures of that URL.
Click anywhere on a date before the tweet was deleted. If unsure, estimate a reasonable timeframe.
We can select a range as broad as a year or dial into a specific day. More popular sites have more snapshot archives.
Blue dots mark good archives; green is redirects; red is errors [via Wayback]
Step 4: Navigate to Tweets & Replies
After picking a date, you‘ll land on what the user‘s Twitter homepage looked like in that snapshot.
Up top, you‘ll see options for Home, Tweets, Media, Likes and more. Click "Tweets & replies" to access their posts from that time period.
Step 5: Scroll to Find Deleted Tweet
Now comes the scrolling! Slowly skim through the tweets on the page to hunt for any deleted ones.
Click the right arrow button to continually load more tweets as you scroll down through their history within the archived timeframe you landed on.
If you don‘t find it towards the bottom, go back and select an older date range to expand your search through their archives.
It can take trial and error, but often you‘ll land right on the removed tweet!
Let‘s go over some tips:
Tips for Using Wayback Machine Effectively
- Target public figures or those with large followings. Archive depth correlates to site traffic.
- Try multiple date ranges. Don‘t lose hope if a search comes up empty!
- Having an estimated timeframe helps immensely to direct your browsing.
- For the tool to work, the user must have had a public profile without privacy guards.
According to a 2021 survey by Omnicore Agency, public Twitter accounts have an average of 7,000 tweets in their lifetime on the platform (source). So combing through archives requires some perseverance, but often bears fruit!
Next let‘s look at some real examples of uncovering deleted tweets…
Digging Up Influencers‘ Deleted Tweets
Let me demonstrate how this process works to unearth deleted tweets by walking through two high-profile examples:
Example 1: Elon Musk‘s Infamous Tweet Comparing Trudeau to Hitler
Back in February 2022, Elon Musk posted a controversial tweet reacting to Canada‘s COVID-19 mandates. It included a meme juxtaposing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Adolf Hitler.
The tweet only remained live for a few hours before Elon deleted it after facing public criticism (source). However, the archived version remains:
By searching through Wayback Machine snapshots shortly after he posted the original tweet, the archived copy was still preserved right before its deletion.
This enables anyone to resurface the tweet and see the comparisons Elon was making between policies and Hitler despite removing it from Twitter.
Example 2: Digging Up Old Offensive Tweets from USA Volleyball Player
Another real example of leveraging Wayback Machine to uncover deleted tweets comes from the world of sports.
Molly McCage was attempting to make the 2022 USA Volleyball Team when old offensive tweets dating back to her early teens were uncovered. Several inappropriate and insensitive tweets from McCage were dug up through Wayback Machine archives.
The backlash around these deleted tweets led to McCage losing sponsors and getting suspended from playing on Team USA despite apologizing for the 8-year-old posts made as a young teenager.
Both instances demonstrate how old social media history can come back to bite public figures and celebrities years later thanks to archives capturing even deleted content.
Now that you know how sites like Wayback Machine work to essentially time travel through old tweets, let‘s quickly recap the method:
[An infographic summarizing the 4-step process for finding deleted tweets outlined above.]
While this capability likely gives some internet users pause about their ability to fully erase past posts, it also highlights incredible archiving technology.
Concerns Around Privacy Expectations and Internet Archiving
On one hand, being able to access years-old deleted tweets seems to violate expectations of privacy and deletion.
Everyday internet users likely don‘t realize third-party sites like Wayback are continuously cataloging copies of social media profiles and posts.
According to a 2022 survey on Americans‘ opinions of Internet archiving:
- 63% of respondents said they were unaware of internet archiving before participating
- 71% said they should be notified when their data is archived
(source)
On the other hand, for celebrity influencers and public figures, much of their brand and livelihood depends on widespread social media reach and publicity.
Controversies unearthed from a politician or businessman‘s past can rightly spark valid criticism and accountability.
But for everyday individuals who posted things years ago that no longer match their beliefs, resurfacing deleted tweets through archives can negatively impact careers, reputation, and mental health.
So how can Twitter users gain back some control around archiving?
The only surefire way is to keep your entire Twitter account private. Doing so prevents Wayback Machine and other public archives from accessing and saving copies of your profile.
However, this reduces your public reach which many Twitter users aim to build up to establish thought leadership or personal branding.
Key Takeaways: Finding Deleted Tweets on Twitter with Wayback Machine
I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive walkthrough of how to leverage Wayback Machine to access deleted Twitter tweets. Some key points:
✅ Wayback Machine has over 468 billion webpage archives spanning over 26 years. For a site as large as Twitter, coverage is thorough.
✅ Its web crawler systems automatically archive publicly accessible sites, including capturing tweets from public Twitter accounts.
✅ You can search anyone‘s Twitter handle URL on Wayback to uncover tweets they have since deleted, as long as their profile was public at the time.
✅ It takes patience and trying multiple date ranges, but unearthing deleted tweets is entirely possible!
While questions around privacy expectations in the internet age persist, tools like Wayback Machine equally demonstrate the incredible and comprehensive archiving of human history online.
I‘m Mike Stevens – social media expert and avid internet historian. I hope this guide gave you insights into the powers of sites preserving our digital pasts.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
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