Digital Literacy Narrative
Course Reflection
As a 21-year-old university student, I embarked on a transformative journey by enrolling in an introductory course in digital humanities. What made this experience particularly enriching was the diverse group of classmates who joined me. Our majors spanned a wide spectrum of disciplines, including Computer Science, Interactive Media, Film and New Media, Theater, Literature, and Creative Writing, and Music. Together, we have explored digital literacy, each bringing a unique set of strategies and skills into the classroom.
Before immersing ourselves in the world of digital humanities, we had already developed our own strategies for navigating the digital landscape in both daily life and academics. As an Interactive Media major, I was well-versed in coding languages such as Java and C++, using them for software development, physical computing, and robotics. My academic journey was marked by problem-solving, algorithm design, and collaborative coding through platforms like GitHub.
My peers from Film and New Media, Environmental Studies, Business and Marketing, and Literature and Creative Writing had their own digital toolkits. Film and New Media enthusiasts delved into multimedia production and digital narrative creation. Environmental Studies majors leveraged data analysis software for environmental research, while Business and Marketing students honed their skills in data analytics platforms for market analysis. Students in Literature and Creative Writing dived deep into research databases to fuel their literary and artistic pursuits.
However, the digital humanities course has illuminated the intersection of our diverse disciplines in the digital age. Content creation, once thought to be confined to specific fields, took on a multidisciplinary dimension. We explored creating interactive websites, digital art installations, immersive narratives, and AI-generated content. Our collaborative efforts showcased the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, blurring the lines between art, science, and storytelling.
The course involved a healthy blend of theoretical and practical work that refined my understanding of digital humanities more and more. Some of the sources used throughout the course, while being theoretical, had a very positive, practical impact on my digital literacy skill as they were designed just for that. One of such works was “Data Organization in Spreadsheets” by Karl W. Broman and Kara H. Woo. In this work, the authors delve into precise steps one can take to organize their data more effectively using spreadsheets, thereby improving their digital literacy. Not only were concepts such as “metadata” and “saving the data in plain text files” entirely novel, but they were also an indicator of how much more progress I could and should make in the realm of digital literacy.
Some of the theoretical resources were less tangible at first sight, but later on contributed to a greater understanding of what digital humanities comprises. “Art of the Sufis” by Courtney Stewart explores Sufism, the mystical facet of Islam, tracing its historical evolution, diverse practices, and cultural influence. It examines how Sufi beliefs and rituals have inspired artists and poets across centuries, emphasizing the significance of Sufi orders, initiation processes, and the enduring appeal of Sufi themes in literature and art. It also touches on the challenges faced by Sufi groups and their documentation by European travelers. This was not a source material I expected to encounter in a class about digital humanities.
However, a highly engaging lecture in which Amar Ahmad presented his artworks that were heavily inspired by, and in many ways dependent on, the concepts of Sufism showed the ways in which digital humanities goes beyond the analysis of data. It is the usage of that analysis to generate digital art that can cast a new light upon traditions and beliefs that are centuries old.
Social interaction and collaboration also evolved. Platforms like Google chats became hubs for exchanging ideas, sparking discussions, and collaborating on projects. We found ourselves engaging in thought-provoking conversations that spanned our areas of expertise, enriching our perspectives and generating innovative ideas. Collaborating across disciplines proved to be a catalyst for creativity and interdisciplinary thinking.
Research data management and manipulation emerged as a common thread that united us all. We delved into text analysis, data visualization, and digital archives. Tools like PositCloud became invaluable for organizing, annotating, and sharing research materials. The importance of data literacy transcended individual majors, equipping us to navigate the data-driven landscape of the digital age.
Another important tool that I would like to highlight is “Voyant Tools.” This is an open-source, web-based application facilitating text analysis for scholars, students, and the public, with a large international user base, supporting the interpretation of texts or corpora through features like scholarly reading and analysis of uploaded or online texts. By using this software, I completed an assignment that was of great personal interest. Using it, I analyzed three of Madonna’s most distinct sounding albums: specifically, the lyrics of all the songs on the albums. As described by Ama Bemma Adwetewa-Badu on the podcast “High Theory,” “distant reading” can provide an analyst with a great deal of quantitative information about literary works when they are read and analyzed from a bird’s eye view and in comparison to each other. This stands in stark contrast to the method we conventionally use when reading literary works, which is a close reading of each work and detailed analysis of the language of each work. Applying these principles, I began seeing the music of her albums as literary works. When listening to music, we tend to closely listen to and uncover the meaning of each record separately. However, the usage of “Voyant Tools” enabled me to “distant read” her music in order to notice any stark shifts in the very words she uses, as, after all, she is hailed as the “Queen of Reinvention.” Voyant Tools’ quantitative and comparative analysis of the language she uses uncovered that maybe her Reinvention lies more so in the presentation of her ideas rather than the words she uses to describe those ideas.
Some platforms, however, have posed limitations throughout the process, one of those being ChatGPT. For my Spatial Analysis assignment, I focused on an old Russian phonebook. I attempted to create a map using the data in the phonebook, but the data in it was written in old Russian and most of the addresses have simply been renamed. Hence, it was expected that when ChatGPT was asked to sort through the information in the phonebook, its analysis was subpar. In order to use the data, I had to manually correct the information and supply more when necessary. While it did not significantly hinder my ability to take advantage of the available information, it does point to ChatGPT’s limited capacity of analysis of older versions of certain languages and its limited access to databases that potentially store outdated information such as old addresses, etc.
I would like to highlight the importance of one of the assignments we had to complete for this class in emphasizing the ways in which employing the lens of digital humanities can help us re-interpret existing data. For our Assignment 1, we had to focus on the Harvard Art Museum website and the database that was generated from it. The assignment included paying attention to the differing information we can derive from the data in the form of a website and in the form of a database. Surprisingly, a variety of different insights were readily available from the database and the comparative analysis it allowed us to complete that was not available from the website. For instance, we were able to compare the works to one another and derive insights about the acquisition of the works in relation to one another - insights that were not readily available through the usage of the website alone. As such, the activities in and outside the classroom of the digital humanities were conducive to the skill of comparative analysis of different forms of the same data.
Our critical reflection on our current abilities led us to appreciate the concept of “computational thinking” in the age of AI. We understood that skills in data analysis, algorithm understanding, and result interpretation were universally valuable, regardless of our major. As AI continues to shape our world, these skills will empower us to harness its potential for innovation and informed decision-making.
Looking ahead, we are excited to continue our exploration of new ways of thinking and working. We aim to cultivate a holistic approach to education that recognizes the value of interdisciplinary thinking in a digitally driven world. We envision a future where collaboration between artists, scientists, scholars, and creators becomes the norm, fostering innovation and pushing the boundaries of our fields.
In conclusion, our journey through digital humanities has been transformative. It has expanded our horizons, bridged the gap between technology and the humanities, and equipped us with a multifaceted understanding of digital literacy. As we continue to navigate the digital landscape, we are poised to embrace new ways of thinking and working that promote interdisciplinary collaboration and responsible digital citizenship. In the age of AI, we are ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.