The colors of the national Web: visual data analysis of the historical Yugoslav Web domain

Anat Ben-David, Adam Amram, Ron Bekkerman

Abstract: This study examines the use of visual data analytics as a method for historical investigation of national Webs, using Web archives. It empirically analyzes all graphically designed (non-photographic) images extracted from Websites hosted in the historical .yu domain and archived by the Internet Archive between 1997 and 2000, to assess the utility and value of visual data analytics as a measure of nationality of a Web domain. First, we report that only \(23.5\%\) of Websites hosted in the .yu domain over the studied years had their graphically designed images properly archived. Second, we detect significant differences between the color palettes of .yu sub-domains (commercial, organizational, academic, and governmental), as well as between Montenegrin and Serbian Websites. Third, we show that the similarity of the domains’ colors to the colors of the Yugoslav national flag decreases over time. However, there are spikes in the use of Yugoslav national colors that correlate with major developments on the Kosovo frontier.