“The phrase Digital Humanities thus describes not just a collective singular but also the humanities in the plural, able to address and engage disparate subject matters across media, language, location, and history. But, however heterogeneous, the Digital Humanities is unified by its emphasis on making, connecting, interpreting, and collaborating.”
Humanities to Digital Humanities Burdick et al.
Circulation of information has always been a pivotal factor in society. Access to information is never equally distributed across a population. This is especially true when looking historically. It is said that knowledge is power – and with the rise of the internet – that power can be split evenly and given to anyone. Digital Humanities is so intriguing to me for just that reason. I chose this quote from Humanities to Digital Humanities as it perfectly encapsulates my feelings towards the internet’s ability to distribute information. At no other time in history have humans been able to make, interpret, collaborate, or converse with each other from anywhere on the globe at any time.
Most Carleton students are at least a bit chronically online. So I think all of us know the massive amounts of information that the internet projects in our faces every day. What I have gained from my experience with the internet is that there are many ways that information can be shared, with no concern for whether that information is real or fake. I want to contribute to the internet by making real, quality information accessible to as many as possible. Digital Humanities is a field that transcends traditional humanities by incorporating elements that are only allowed in the 21st century. For example, maps can be much more interactive online than paper maps ever are. Furthermore, the learning curve for understanding a map on an interactive platform is much less steep than picking one off the shelf with no prior knowledge of map conventions.
I am most interested in data visualization, 3D modeling, and mapping. These are the most interesting techniques/methods to me because they allow me to present information in accessible ways (like my map example above). The simple truth of the matter is that sometimes digital information is more exciting to look at than paper. It is fun to scroll through blocks of text with interesting animations, and it is cool to see data in pretty ways that only the digital world allows.
This term, I am excited to contribute to the digital world with our many upcoming projects! 😁
1 thought on “Aiden Johnson’s Week One Reflection”
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Aiden! I enjoyed your note to how digital humanities, while not perfect, is oftentimes aimed at producing knowledge critically. The internet can be a place of misleading and corrupting information but digital humanities appears to try — at the very least — to create an intentional space filled with thoughtful creations within the broader web. I also think your note to the vast interconnection that the internet brings today’s world is a good point to think about in terms of who may be looking and interacting with digital humanities products. How can we make these online spaces accessible across the world?