I entered into classroom on the first day for Humanities Research Methods with no idea of what to expect. Then, I heard the phrase “digital humanities” and…honestly, was not any less confused. It took me some time, some reading, pondering, and researching to truly understand what digital humanities is and why it matters. The Digital_Humanities book describes digital humanities as the encounter between traditional humanities and computational methods. This encounter causes a variety of effects on humanity as a whole, including changes in the way content is viewed and created as well as changes in the scholars who study it.

The digital age has changed the way that humanity produces and interacts with content. The Digital Humanities Manifesto 2.0 the digital age is described as one that is shaped by counterculture-cyberculture making it “expansive and infinite”. Due to this change, digital humanists honor collaboration and digital humanities blurs the lines of authorship. Producing content in this day and age allows an open space for content to be criticized and remixed, and digital humanities honors the freedom to critique, rework, and educate with content while still defending the rights of content makers. This allows us a wider space for creation and inspiration, which means more opportunities for more content to be produced, further advancing society as a whole.

Another effect that digital humanities has is on scholars. In Digital_Humanities it is explained that initially books used to be the main source of information and interaction between scholars. With the 21st century came a variety of media platforms such as digital lectures and forums which can be used to teach, research, and stay connected to other scholars. In The Digital Humanities Manifesto 2.0, it is explained that digital humanists do not intend to abolish books, but they seek to enrich the learning experience with transmedia. This change has allowed for a lot of opportunity for scholars to interact, teach, research, and create. In What is Digital Humanities and What’s it Doing in English Departments? Matthew Kirschenbaum explains that english departments use computing for archiving work and for teaching tools like english themed video games. As well, the digital realm offers an expansive virtual community for scholars along with a variety of resources for research and experimentation. This means more research can be conducted and it can be more thorough than ever before, and it is well known that research is the backbone to businesses and scientific breakthroughs. In Digital_Humanities it is explained that digital humanities implies a generative enterprise, meaning that students and faculty get the opportunity to make things as they study and perform research. This allows scholars to get hands on with research and studies more than ever before and offers an increasing opportunity for learning and teaching.

Digital humanities is the crossroad between humanity and computing. It encompasses quite a lot,including humanity and the creation of content and scholars seeking to understand and research. It is important because the many innovations that have come with the digital age have been revolutionary in changing the process for creating and understanding content. Every day I contintue to learn more and more about digital humanities through readings and observing it around me. Although, I entered into this class clueless, I plan to leave out fully embracing that I too am a digital humanist.

Sources

Burdick, Anne, Johanna Drucker, Peter Lunenfeld, Todd Presner, and Jeffrey Schnapp. 2012. Digital Humanities. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Kirschenbaum, Matthew. 2012. “What Is Digital Humanities and What’s It Doing in English Departments?” In Debates in the Digital Humanities. http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/38.

“The Digital Humanities Manifesto 2.0.” 2009. Digital Humanities Manifesto. May 29. http://manifesto.humanities.ucla.edu/2009/05/29/the-digital-humanities-manifesto-20/.