In a digital ecosystem that relentlessly creates, extracts and stores, the notion of a disappearing text is very appealing

‘There is power in the ability to decide how and when things should be permanent, and too often that decision isn’t ours.’ Photograph: Hero Images Inc./Alamy

What will be left of us online after we’re gone? For me, I hope it’s a collection of hot selfies, sassy tweets, and maybe even some writing that made people think (or at least, angry in the comments). But the reality is that so much of the trails we leave online aren’t up to us.

Perhaps that’s why digital ephemerality – material existing online only briefly – is so alluring. In a digital ecosystem that relentlessly creates, extracts, stores and monetises our data, it’s no wonder that the notion of temporary content is appealing. There’s a certain sense of freedom in the knowledge that things won’t last for ever.