Preserving an authentic version of a digital artwork includes preserving the ability to render and display it. For digital artwork, the medium is an integral part of the message. Digital preservationists have not fully resolved the issues around preserving digital art, partly due to this connection. 

In “Dismantling the Monolith: Post-Media Art and the Culture of Instability,” Nora Almeida argues that current digital preservation strategies, which are often technical and institution-based, lack conceptual grounding in media theory to engage these issues (2). Current best practices, such as those offered by the Library of Congress, “cannot adequately address the challenges presented by complex digital art objects” due to their broad scope (2). Additionally, Almeida notes the unique problem of “data diffusivity,” an important concept relating to digital authenticity and integrity. Coined by Ben Fino-Radin, “data diffusivity” refers to the connection between digital artworks and the systems (e.g. hardware, software, web browser) that interpret and display them (3). Digital preservationists must determine how to best preserve and later represent digital art in its intended form, especially as technology changes and current media become obsolete.