Charlotte- Data and Digitization

Data: “Data are some of the basic units of almost all digital work.” (pg 15)

Data and data analysis/ extraction plays a large role in any digital humanities project. Data is quite literally all over the interweb, and there are different subcategories of data that can be used to describe data rather than keeping the term broad. Unstructured data is what most people see on the daily, things like images, text, and sound. But structured data is more sought after when someone is looking to be informed. Examples are graphs and tables that can be analyzed. Parametrization can be used to measure all the features within data. Examples include using metric systems to prevent biases and tokenization– determining which units are being represented and identified. Data is never neutral and will always come from a specific source that has its own biases. 

Some examples of data in the project that I chose (New York Times Close Read) are poems, scans of artwork, scans of old newspapers, and the history of art pieces provided by the New York Times.

Digitization: For things like data to be put online and converted into a digital humanities project, they must meet specific standards and protocols to be displayed and presented. This protocol requires that all files on the web be transformed into HTML. Everything online has an HTML. HTML has regulations about search engines and their ability to collect data on individuals' preferences. In addition, HTML creates a standard that ensures all files are accessible. HTML must meet public accommodations like file sizes and be mindful of the human's five senses. These file formats matter because it affects the HTML’s success. 

My New York Times project has its own HTML just like any other website, but is particularly both accessible and inaccessible. Although the Times is a large platform and can therefore spread information broadly across its large audience, its information sits behind a paywall. So, technically speaking, the HTML of the website is accessible, and the contents even include an audio version, but the contents are blocked through a paywall. 

Comments

  1. Gabby M.September 15, 2026 at 11:14 AM

    Hi Charlotte, your project sounds very interesting! I love the detail of your response as it applies to your particular project. My project is similar, in the sense that it is also an online collection of historical pieces. Similarly, I found that these chapters explained a lot of the functions and behind the scenes when it comes to developing a site like this! I appreciate the preservation of historical materials, especially when they become so accessible through the digital world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dr. MSeptember 15, 2026 at 11:23 AM

    HTML is also the safest building block as it stands up to browser updates and can be added to/modified in the future.

    ReplyDelete

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