Advantages of Digital History over Other History Presentations - Essay Example

INSTITUTION NAME DATE INTRODUCTION Technology has significantly changed the way history is told in the modern world and one does not need to a historian to tell a story about past historical events. Digital history can generally be viewed as digitizing the past, as it allows the creation a framework through technology to enable people to read, experience, and follow the past historical events. Consequently, the methods of digital presentation of history like aerial surveying, gene mapping, radiocarbon dating, and 3D technology have replaced the traditional methods like popular, physical, visual, and oral history. The paper, therefore, discusses the advantages of digital history over other types of history presentations that are used to understand the past, and it compares digital history with other methods. ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL HISTORY OVER OTHER TYPES OF HISTORY PRESENTATIONS TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST Digital history refers to the use of technology to preserve the past records and important photographs, films and videos. Digital history is an improvement from the common methods of history presentation that is the popular history, visual history, physical history and the oral history. 1 The method has allowed various history discoveries which have facilitated the digital presentation of history. They include; aerial surveying, gene mapping, radiocarbon dating and use of 3D technology. The aerial surveying involves the collection of images above the surface of the earth. The aerial images are collected using airplanes, radars, and hot air balloons. Special cameras are used together with the flying objects, and they capture images of people and objects at the surface.2 It is faster and not tedious to collect the photographs. It is an expensive method as the instruments used are expensive to purchase. The method also requires skilled personnel to operate and collect the images.3 Gene mapping is the comparison of genes and the genetic make-up of organisms. DNA of organisms is compared to determine parents or to find out if there is the genetic relation of organisms. The method is reliable as the collected information cannot be interfered with. It is quick and involves the use of few apparatus rather than long distance traveling. The method also requires highly trained personnel, who can operate and translate the message from the amplifying machines4. Radio carbon dating is a method that targets the decay of the carbon compounds in the organisms. The method is used to date organisms. Carbon compounds decay is compared with the half-life of carbon which is usually 5600 years. The number of decays in a carbon is then multiplied with the carbon half-life to get the age of very old organisms5.The method is also reliable as there is no interruption of the collected data. The method is easy and does not involve a lot of long- distance traveling. However, the method is expensive. The technology has been adopted in the archeological sites and in the museums to assist the archeologists and the historians in the dating process.6 Use of 3D technology is another method that is used in the digital presentation of history. The method involves the presentation of historical objects and tools in the form of films using screens or display monitors. The pictures provide virtual images of history to people before they get to the actual objects. Use of the method is attractive to most people and attracts more people to visit the historical sites where they get exposed to the actual objects. 7 The method is also adopted in the world-wide-web where the images are saved and any one visiting the sites gets exposure of the images8. BENEFITS OF HISTORY PRESENTATIONS USING DIGITAL METHOD The method has enhanced data processing. Millions of historical books, millions of pictures, millions of films and other records are captured and processed using the technology system. The system lead to saving time that would be spent if manual labor was used to handle the large sources of historical data. The method is also making work easier as it has reduced the labor that would be required in sorting and arranging the several sources of data.9 Use of digital method is proved to be efficient as there is the security of the crucial data. Crucial data is stored in files that are password protected. Hence, they cannot be accessed without authentication. The cost of maintaining data stored in the digital systems is highly reduced. The sites of storage are easily accessible, and they can be retrieved at the point of need without spending much time or cost. The data remains as it was stored until when someone adds the data. The analog methods are contrary as data storage methods were expensive, that is., it required people to travel to the holders to request for the information and sometimes those holding the information could not be accessed.10 Use of 3D technology has made historical events more alive. The method offers a virtual tour before the actual tour, and the method captures the mind of the viewers. The method is a means of advertisement and creating awareness to the public about the available historical information. The method has been fed in the world-wide-web which communicates to several people world-wide. The digital technology stores the data that is used by the future leaders and the future management that will be running the same posts.11 Use of digital technology in presenting historical information aids the public in contributing towards building the history sources. The internet information provides room to the citizens to blog, comment and gives their views towards certain historical information. The method connects the people’s knowledge and personal collections around the globe. People can communicate about history with other people far from their communities.12 The adoption of the digital history presentations by the museums allows them to publish important documents like the publications, research papers, and other documentary sources. They also use an interactive features where the public can visit sites in the museum, ask questions and they get the answers.13 COMPARISONS OF DIGITAL HISTORY WITH OTHER METHODS OF HISTORY PRESENTATION In comparison with the popular history, digital history is not motivated by income, but it is based towards providing what the people require getting. Popular history is usually motivated by income. The method lacks the rudiments of history which are the sources of history as they are meant to impress a particular group of people. Unlike the digital history which has the primary sources of history information that are important in the history data storage.14 In the popular history, the historians have to have skills and the expertise to research and provide attractive historic information for the media unlike the digital history which does not need the historians to have the expertise to provide attractive history. An example is the historian Peter Fitzsimons, who could tell a story but did not understand the subject of his story. The popular history does not reference their sources while the digital history has a reference to every history record they have. In comparison with the visual history, visual history uses paintings, photographs, and cartoons. They shape the mind of the public and are limited to artistic license on what they present. Contrary, digital history, use what the technologies captures and display to the public and it is not limited to the licensing of the systems used to capture the information.15 Visual history is not accurate as they depend on the ability of the artists. The filmmakers and those making cartoons can alter the historical information which will be misleading to the public. An example is a documentary on the Nazi Party of Germany which was interrupted by the government forces. Unlikely, Digital history is not based on the accuracy of the artist but by the specificity of the systems used in capturing and storing historical information. Digital history is also exposed to interruption since that personnel feeding the data. In comparison with the physical history, physical history refers to that place where history was made. The value of the historical information is judged by the viewing audience. The arrangement of the artifacts in the historical display usually has a historical symbolism. Historical evidences are easily lost through destruction by water or displacement by moving masses of the earth. An example is the Vasa ship that was displaced at the sea bed. Unlikely, digital history is the digital data stored in the electrical appliances. The order of the storage files has no historical significance while the records stored in the digital systems are not prone to destruction by the natural factors like rain or displacement by moving land masses.16 The physical history provides historical information to those people who cannot access historical records from books or digital systems. The method is considered as a primary source of information as it does not involve the second party in relying upon the information. It is contrary to digital history which requires literate individuals and those who can access the digital systems and can operate the systems. In comparison with the oral history, oral history is a pre-literate method of history presentation. The method has an orator who narrates the information to his/her listeners or his/her interviewers. The method depends on the orator’s memory. An example is the oral historian Alessandro Portelli, who in his narration could remember what people did, wanted to do, were doing and were intending to do. Digital history is not biased to the memory of the person feeding the records as they are frequently updated. The oral history is offered by the living people while the digital history does not depend on the existence of those who recorded the information in the systems. Digital information as long as it is not password secured, anyone can access the information.17 CHALLENGES FACING DIGITAL HISTORY Digital history becomes out dated very quickly, what was new yesterday becomes outdated in the following days. The system requires frequent updates to ensure the stored information is not outdated by the new records.18 Digital history is prone to lose data due to the same digitalization. A protected password record cannot be accessed without the owner’s authentication. In addition, the method is not reliable as it depends on the interest and opinions of the person in-charge of the record keeping.19 Digital history also requires a high capital input. Those that are unskilled cannot operate the systems and cannot access the historical information.20 CONCLUSION Methods of digital presentation of history like aerial surveying, gene mapping, radiocarbon dating, and 3D technology have numerous advantages over the traditional method. They are highly reliable, as the information and data cannot easily be interfered with. They are also faster and accurate compared to the traditional methods of presentation of history that are tedious and time consuming. The traditional methods like the popular, visual, physical, and oral history have other numerous disadvantages like experienced historians who have to do research to collect information, which they can easily alter based on their interests and the interests of the audience. The common methods, therefore, are not reliable as they are subject to alteration by the orators. However, like the traditional methods, digital history also has some drawbacks as they can easily be outdated, data can be lost through technological breakdown, and they can also be changed by the experts to serve their own interests. Bibliography Bickley, L., & Szilagyi, P. G. (2012). Bates' guide to physical examination and history-taking. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Boland Jr, R. J., Lyytinen, K., & Yoo, Y. (2007). Wakes of innovation in project networks: The case of digital 3-D representations in architecture, engineering, and construction. Organization Science, 18(4), 631-647. Cameron, F., & Kenderdine, S. (2007). Theorizing Digital Cultural Heritage: A Critical Discourse (Media in Transition). The MIT Press. Encarnacao, L. M. (2016). Human Touch in Digital Experiences. Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE, 36(1), 4-4. Ensmenger, N. (2012). 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