Digital Is…
We have been asked to think about what digital is to us.
Off the top of my head I would say it is a lot to me. I can only vaguely remember a time when analogue was more widespread. I guess that comes from growing up at a period of history where things are changing at such a fast speed.
Today I wouldn’t be able to, at the touch of a button (pretty much), get my hands on whatever media I need straight away if it wasn’t for digital technologies. It seems crazy to to think of a time when you had to actually travel to get something, rather than just download it. This is a negative too, however you look at it, because when its easier to do something legally it is also easier to do things illegally. I ramble though, so here’s a list of what I do today that’s digital:
- Send e-mails! (although this is has annoyingly been taken over by facebook for most people)
- Use the telephone.
- Pay for the bus.
- Take photographs.
- Manipulate those photographs.
- Indulge in culture.
- Browse the internet.
- Be distracted. (everyday!)
I am sure there is a lot more, but what is interesting is that for me at least a lot of what I immediately associate with digital are distractions. I think the only thing left for me that’s not are books, which are soon to be replaced maybe. I guess my work for college is in fact digital, and that is not a distraction, but I walk around everyday and feel more and more that with every new technology that’s supposed to make it easier to be productive, I actually get less and less productive.
The internet is a great example of this. The more I have available in front of me the less and less of each thing I actually take in, I mean I read loads of wikipedia articles, but I don’t even remember 10% of them. The problem, which my friend Alex loves to stress, is that because you haven’t invested anything into it, you won’t get anything out of it. Like a book. If you research it, and pay money for it, and wait for it to arrive you will most likely read all of it, lovingly taking everything in. If you download a load of books just because they are there or recommended for you, I (he) doesn’t believe you’ll read any of them.
It’s all about self control. I don’t have much of this which is why I think I suffer a little in this digital age.
