I'm writing an essay about lost media and I need help

An interesting angle might be to explore the reasons media goes lost. From lesser-loved Greek plays going extinct because there was less interest in copying them around, to the Manichaean (and other religious) texts being burned due to persecution, to accidents of war like the burning of old libraries. And compare that to now, where the primary driving force for media getting lost is copyright nonsense, carelessness of the media-holders themselves and the delicate nature of both film and digital media. (Many lost films, pre and post digital, are lost because there was only one or few copies poorly maintained.)

Another interesting angle might be the fact that those trusted with this media do a terrible job maintaining it. From the MGM studio fire to "the day the music died/burned" to Nintendo and other companies losing the various source codes for their own iconic videogames. Then maybe discuss the importance of our community/multiple, decentralized preservationist efforts and reduced terms for copyright when it comes to preserving media going forward.