Digital Folklore of Rural Tourism in Poland

Abstract

Numerous development techniques and attributes that define the unique essentiality of archaic rural tourism websites in Poland have been identified. However, the use of e-folklore graphics on the websites heretofore has not been analysed. The paper’s objective is to identify forms of digital folklore found on archaic websites of rural tourism facilities functioning in Poland from 2000 to 2015. The analysed sample was 185 websites stored in the Internet Archive. The focal points were the dynamics of content presentation and the type of graphic components, including marquee text containers and GIFs. The use of characteristic graphics and digital stamps was recorded as well. The results fuel a discussion concerning potential reasons for deleting copies stored in digital archives. It is further concluded that all digital copies, even those far from being complete or perfect, contribute to the integrity of the digital ecosystem as a whole. Therefore, the process of archiving Internet content must not be exclusive. Therefore, any actions towards preserving the digital ecosystem for further investigation are reasonable.