SivisWhy messages fade: permanence versus the passing moment
Every message on Sivis is given a lifetime, and its readers extend it. How the decay formula works and why it was designed that way.
Every Siv is born with a lifespan
Every message shared on Sivis receives a lifetime of 5 minutes the moment it is published. When the time runs out, the message leaves the stage and moves to the archive. We call this decay.
But the lifetime is not fixed. Readers who like the message light a "torch" for it; readers with something to add leave "inspiration". Each torch adds 12 seconds, each inspiration adds 24.
Readers decide the lifespan, not the writer
The formula is simple: lifetime = 5 minutes + (torches × 12 seconds) + (inspirations × 24 seconds).
That is a measure outside the author's control. A good sentence can stay up for hours; one nobody cares about fades in five minutes. Nobody can inflate their own message: comments on your own Siv do not add time.
Why a comment is worth more than a torch
Writing a comment takes more effort than pressing a button. Sivis rewards that effort with twice the time. The platform therefore encourages responding over merely reacting.
A torch can be taken back, and when it is, the time is correctly reduced. The lifetime is always recalculated from the moment the message was posted.
Transience does not destroy the archive
Faded messages are not deleted. They are archived under "Echoes" and can be filtered by country, gender and the number of torches collected.
So what is transient is the stage, not the content. A sentence loses the stage but its record remains.
FAQ
What is the minimum time a message stays up?
5 minutes. That is the starting lifetime, even with no interaction at all.
How much time do torches and inspiration add?
Each torch adds 12 seconds and each inspiration (comment) adds 24 seconds.
Are expired messages deleted?
No. They remain in the "Echoes" archive and stay searchable.