“The lack of conventions and the opportunity to imagine formats with very different affordances than print have not only brought about recognition of the socio-cultural construction and cognitive implications of standard print formats, but have also highlighted the role of design in communication. Modeling knowledge in digital environments requires the perspectives of humanists, designers, and technologists.”
Burdick et al. “One: Humanities to Digital Humanities,” in Digital_Humanities (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012).
The advancement of technology and the new ways that we interact with information have always been some things that interested me. As a psychology major, I am also fascinated by the cognitive processes behind media use and design. Subsequently, this passage defines why I am interested in digital humanities. However, the most impactful part of this quote is the idea that digital humanities include perspectives beyond STEM. This was a relief because psychology seems to deviate from the typical example despite technically counting as a STEM field. It also reinforced the fact that interdisciplinary collaboration has led to multiple innovations.
The passage pointed out that new forms of communication have brought forward “socio-cultural construction” prevalent in older formats. This made me reflect on a recent work of mine. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to work with a program with which I had no prior experience, Omeka. This was my first digital humanities field project, and it consisted of creating a digital exhibit based on the musical traditions of Northfield and the Twin Cities. Through its creation, my class learned about the lack of accessibility that had been present in physical museums and exhibitions, and, as a result, we worked to offer “affordances” that were previously absent.
As I previously mentioned, I love studying the psychology behind design. And what better way to learn than by being present in the design process? For this reason, I am most excited to work with 3D programs because it is learning to use interesting software to make something abstract and watch it become tangible. Paired with studying human behavior, I can discover a new way to make something more efficient or easily accessible. The ultimate goal is to create something that changes the way we go about our daily lives for the better, of course.
