How can we track our global digital cultures?
The increasing interconnectedness in our Global Village has resulted in online content coming from all corners of the globe. Today we are dealing with a high proliferation of content that’s scattered and unorganized. One question posed is how we record our online social, economic and politically activity amongst other cultural issues? How can ‘Born Digital’ media content be read; ultimately to describe our 21st century trends and pre existing ones? Approximately 70% of the digital universe is created by individuals which suggests we should look at the individual using the internet rather than just the proliferation of technology itself. We need to track modern technology in an organized manner, just like we would document files in a filing cabinet. While this seems hard to do in an every growing online world it could potentially help us track online cultures.
Manovich suggests the interpretation of our digital culture being conducted through the use of quantitative research. That being the use of key strokes, page hits, search terms and downloads which provide recorded numerical data. However the basis of all good research requires a mixture of both quantitative and qualitative data. The incorporation of qualitative (written) data could supplement both cultural data & information. For example, if everyone who uploaded cultural data (photos, music, film, graphics) wrote a caption, added a hash tag, statement or hyperlink to the material then its basis becomes more than data and is given meaning. Therefore before meaning is made at the stage of cultural information (news or information created using the cultural data) the purpose of our collected data can be given more accurate representation and to an extent grouped.
In addition, if each online cultural data sharing website is given a distinct and meaningful mission statement then the content makers can accurately distribute their online footprint. This by no means enforces a form of gate keeping where a particular image cannot be used on your Linked In profile because it’s more suitable for Facebook. Its purpose would be to inform the audience and help distribute content onto the more appropriate forums. The result would mean an increase in relevant content distributed in an organized manner coming from an informed individual. Therefore the quantitative data Manovich speaks of will be shaped more accurately with the individuals intended meaning and trends (cultural data) shinning through.
References:
Manovich, L 2009, How to Follow Global Digital Cultures, or Cultural Analytics for Beginners. in Deep Search, eds. Felix Stalder and Konrad Becker. Transaction Publishers (English version) and Studienverlag (German version), 2009.
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