Blog Post 2: Data & Digitization

    The readings this week furthered the idea and definition of what digital humanities truly is through its application. Chapter 2 gave a lot of detail about the types of data seen in DH and how data models are actually used for humanitarian projects. The reading discussed the difference between unstructured and structured data, which gave me a good understanding of how data can be found online and which formats may be more helpful for spreading information. To me it seems like structured data is easier to digest and gives a clearer meaning to what the author is trying to convey. The chapter shares an example stating “structuring data allows analysis, repurposing, and manipulation of data/texts/files in systematic ways. It also disambiguates (between, say, the place name “Washington” and the personal name).” (pg. 27) This is a great example because something as simple as the way we structure DH data can lead to different interpretations to various topics in humanities. The chapter also discusses the ethics of data modeling by proposing the possible reuse may occur, “discovery, violation of privacy, and liabilities for the repurposing of data for monetary gain” (pg 32) This is important to remember when thinking about conducting DH projects or being emersed in the world of digital humanities because while data may seem like numbers, there are real people behind the analytics and statistics. 

    Chapter 3 gave context on the type of digital files often found while creating and researching digital humanities. It is evident from the reading that the type of file a DH project is, has a great effect on the longevity and general success of the project. This is an important point to consider because the information that is being digitized and produced for mass audiences should be functional and last a while. DH projects should follow the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and online websites use formatting associated with HyperText Markup Language (HTML).  The formatting identifies structural elements of a document and can use different tags to tell the browser how to read/present the file. The reading for this chapter opened my eyes to all the steps that go into creating the digital media forms we see and use on a daily basis. It is not just as simple as a website on our screen; there is a lot of background work that goes into it, which I did not know. 

    The reading this week developed by understanding of digital humanities by showing me the complexity behind creating it myself. It is easy to look at a DH project and not truly look at the materials used or understand the process or why they chose the presentation they did. However, there is a reason for everything and I think that is what this reading showed me this week. It also made me think about my DH project analysis for the 911 Memorial Timeline and how they conducted their website and broke it down into the three basic components: materials, processing, presentation. I think a huge thing that can be applied to my project is the unstructured and structured data. My website seems to utilize both forms, which I think provides a digestible format for viewers. This platform contains images, audios, videos, and other unstructured data formats, but also has sections that are very organized and well structured so the viewer is not confused. In addition, the presentation that is used has a vital impact on how the viewer feels while reading and interprets the information. THe black background and simple white and blue accents makes the information on the page the main focus. It also implies a serious tone for a serious topic, which I think bodes well for the creator and the success of the DH project.