[City, State]
Introduction
New knowledge is created through the process of research. Very few people dispute the fact that digital technology is fundamentally transforming the way in which we engage in attainment of knowledge through the research process. This question was correctly posed by Belisle (2006, 55). Indeed, it is becoming apparent that knowledge and research is increasingly being arbitrated through the employment of digital technology. Among the many proponents of this fact, a number of them insist that digital technology is slowly progressively transforming the processes of conducting research. The way human beings think and gain knowledge is also under the influence of such factors. Evidences for this inalienable fact are quite accessible through the achievements of digital technology. Comparing previous analogue and current digital means of creativity is an effective way of studying the extent of the notion. For most researchers and scholars, digital technology has affected both the epistemologies and ontologies that bridle any research (Turing, 1950, 430). The process of creativity and acquisition of knowledge has been dealt the same fate. Of course, depending on disciplines, the results are varied. Digital knowledge has opened new horizons for the creation of knowledge and human thinking.
It is becoming increasingly rare to find scholars who have had no access to digital technology. The only difference is that some disciplines are more reliant on digital technology than others. Digital technology has infused every aspect of knowledge acquisition and creativity. The paragon of this is evident in areas where research is conducted (Kuhn, 1996, 75). For example; library catalogues have always been the least way with which books and research articles can be accessed. The initial analogue system was sort of tedious and long. Card indexes were introduced as a means of easing this burden. Currently, even non-digital scholars are forced to undertake research in the modern university. Databases such as Google, online journals and bibliographies contained wholesome scanned libraries placed online. This has made it necessary to access knowledge through technology. For most scholars, this method saves time. It is also easier to access more information in a short period. In this way, access to knowledge has been transformed.
In the digital world, scholars of, or interested in, rhetoric have an opportunity to access and develop the works of others or use such works the build their own (Olsen, Selinger and Riis, 2009, 97). This kind of research is quite possible in various fields emerging from bodies of works from the fields such as; software studies and critical code studies. This transformation has gone further and significantly expanded to incorporate image, video, game play and sound into its domain (Olsen, Selinger and Riis, 2009, 99).
The ubiquitous digital technologies have been adopted by scholars focusing in communication and rhetoric writing. In fact, the newest and most effective stylistic devices have been developed using the current digital technology. The open tools and software utilized in digital technology are effective in creating novel ways of bringing meaning in these factions (Clement, Steger, Unsworth and Uszkalo, 2008). In communicative interaction digital technologies have been shown to focus on the end products which aim at the audience. In this way, products are developed specific for the user making communication easier.
Furthermore, software mediation has been used to turn attention to the processes and procedures underlying meaningful texts. This has transformed creativity in writers (Kuhn, 1996, 125). The components of a digital system work together systematically to create a meaningful and useful end result.
One subject that requires a lot of creativity is humanities. Digital system has completely transformed this art. Apparently, humanities have engaged in such a way that they utilize the plasticity of digital forms to radicalize art. Digital technology has presented a completely new way of presentation and mediation of factors related to art. This implies that most of the work is left to technology minimizing the work of human beings. Most of the digital technology is quite efficient that it transforms an item right from the beginning further minimizing the chances of creativity.
Digital devices first translate an item into the digital or computational code that it can understand (Presner, 2010, 45). This establishes a model that the digital device works with. Initially, most of these procedures required the use of the human mind. The fact that the work is now done using digital technology is a complete transformation of creativity. The work of human beings has been lowered to simply feeding an item to a computer and waiting for it to perform every single function. Not only has this revolutionized the world, but it has sort of made human beings lazy when it comes to thinking. A typical example is given by Turing (1950, 12) where he states that digital technology is replacing human labor in fields like technology. A simple task like translating rain- gauge readings is now the task of a computer and not human beings.
Generally, a study into the history of humanities will reveal that digital technology has played a crucial role in its development. It has also transformed the way humanities as a subject is viewed and treated. Initially, digital technology was used as a technical support for projects proposed by various scholars in the field. For example; a researcher would utilize technology in meteorological studies only as a way of supporting thesis, dissertation or research. The machine use can be described as servitude alone and nothing to do with companionship or inevitability. However, with time, some of these technologies were utilized in testing and criticizing research. This was considered the most valuable and errorless way of providing evidence that could lead to a scholarly conclusion. As such, digital technology in humanity can be explained as having emerged humanities from the low-prestige status of a support service into an inalienable and genuine intellectual avocation. It is noteworthy that human beings are required at least at some point even with such complicated technology.
For a long time, digital technology was utilized in the same way as an accompaniment to most scholarly works. Its efficiency is what attracted most people to expound on its uses. It is now part and parcel of a myriad of professional practices. It is attractive in most exercises considered to be too rigorous for the human mind (Presner, 2010, 75). It is not ironical that as projects become complex, more developed and bigger, digital technology and its techniques become an intrinsic and necessary part of the research process. Basically, the process previously undertaken by human beings has been left for digital technology. The work done by human beings is that that does not require a lot of creativity and thinking. Human beings only do the simpler parts while technology takes care of the rest. As such, it would be correct to say that digital technology is transforming creativity to some extent, also opening new avenues of thinking.
Clement, Steger, Unsworth and Uszkalo (2008) and other scholars insist that the invasion by digital technology occurred in two waves. These two waves capture the state of the different working practices of the two technologies. However, scholars like Presner (2010, 198) argue that this is still contestable. For instance; Prestner states “the first wave of Digital Humanities scholarship in the late 1990s and early 2000s tended to focus on large-scale digitization projects and the establishment of technological infrastructure, [while] the current second wave of Digital Humanities -- what can be called ‘Digital Humanities” (2010, 6). On the other hand, other scholars insist that the first wave of digital humanities was characterized with quantitative work. The second wave was the one that was qualitative.
Such analytical concepts can be said to be useful in opening new ways of thinking especially for researchers interested in, and utilizing the digital technology. The inception of digital technology was meant to be useful in some complex projects like the building of infrastructure, creation of communicative devices and in the studying of humanities in art. With worldwide acceptance of the technology, it became evident that the utilization of digital technology could be expanded. Consequently, the second-wave of digital humanities expanded the limits to almost infinity. This can be seen to be ways of expanding thinking. All these steps required the input of human knowledge making thinking even more innovative.
Researchers became technically savvy and proficient. Even those who were not interested in technology were forced to indulge in its practices. This increasingly saw the requirement of digital technology as part and parcel of doing research right from the beginning. For example; the collection of data in the first instance requires technological input in most cases. The interpretation and computation of the same data will require the use of some form of digital technology. However, it has become impossible to completely alienate human input. Furthermore, digital technology can perform functions in completely different procedures as compared to human beings. Being curious creatures, most will try to adopt the actions and procedures of technology. This requires a lot of thinking and deliberation. As such, digital technology can be said to be a fuelling factor into the new ways of how human beings approach different issues.
Since the introduction of digital technology, its spread can only be explained as inexorable. A lot of money is spent on the purchase of a variety of digital technology or devices related to it. It is thus evident that digital technology is becoming a part and parcel of our lives. This requirement is unbiased as it requires the action of a variety of people in various fields. This is especially necessary when it comes to research. However, human beings are always striving to make digital technology more and more efficient. This requires thinking and having an open mind. For most people, anything is possible with the use of technology. Furthermore, human beings are a requirement in at least one step in research. In this way, digital technology can be said to open avenues through which thinking is enhanced.
Reference List
Belisle, C. April 22, 2006. “Literacy and the digital knowledge revolution.” Viewed May 24. 2013 http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00275094
Clement, T. Steger, S., Unsworth. J. and Uszkalo, K., 2008. ‘How Not to Read a Million Books’, accessed May 24, 2013 http://www3.isrl.illinois.edu/~unsworth/hownot2read.html#sdendnote4sym
Kuhn, T. S., 1996. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago University Press, Chicago.
Presner, T., 2010. ‘Digital Humanities 2.0: A Report on Knowledge’, accessed May 24, 2013. http://cnx.org/content/m34246/1.6/?format=pdf
Olsen J. K. B., Selinger, E. and Riis, E., 2009. New Waves in Philosophy of Technology. Palgrave, London.
Turing, A. M., 1950. Computing Machinery and Intelligence, Mind. Palgrave, London.
