Low-Tech Digital Poetry and Digital Fringe Art

My final essay, titled "Low-Tech Digital Poetry and Digital Fringe Art," defends the idea that a prospective artist need not have a lot of technical training nor a lot of resources to produce digital art of value.  Digital poems and special artworks resting on the fringes can be made through low-tech means for high-quality returns.  In this essay I write about professional low-tech digital poetry, works on the fringe, and student works from UPJ's Digital Poetry course this semester.

Friday's Essay Exhibit

Last Friday I went around to four of the essay exhibit pieces in our classroom.  Three of them had something to do with social media, and the fourth dealt with bots.  I gave most of my attention to my tribe members Molly and Morgan.

Morgan's essay exhibit was titled "Increase in Social Media Due to Virtual Identity."  Her exhibit piece was a Prezi consisting of four bubbles.  The first bubble dealt with the concept of F.O.M.O. (Fear of Missing Out).  F.O.M.O. is the anxiety, often fueled by social media, that you are missing out on cool happenings.  Some people use social media to stay in the loop for fun events, parties, etc.  Morgan's second bubble dealt with reputation.  She surmised that users of social media attempted to use those platforms to show off positive traits that they possess or that they hope others will think they possess.  The third bubble of the presentation regarded social media's usefulness.  For instance, beyond the obvious functions, social media can be used to learn new things, such as recipes.  A YouTube video occupied the final bubble of Morgan's presentation.  It pulled the exhibit together well.

Morgan on Facebook

Molly's exhibit also used Prezi to convey its message.  She self-described her presentation as "Dope AF" and "Pro-Millennial."  Molly's Prezi focused on the intersection of social media and politics.  She referenced how political candidates of today use Twitter bots to propagate artificial buzz.  Molly also looked at how generational differences related to social media and politics.  Millennials, for instance, are using social media well to stay informed on political topics of interest to them.  Molly uses several statistics to back up her claims.

Molly politicking on Twitter

It was interesting to see that 75% of the exhibits I looked at were about social media.  They each had a distinct focus, but they still dealt with similar topics.  I think social media is an interesting area for this type of study, and I think these projects could prove to be fruitful for critical inquiry.

Trope on a Rope

Here is my original work: "Trope on a Rope."  "Trope on a Rope" is a second-person, present-tense hypertext narrative that allows viewers to adventure through a string of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror tropes.  Each knot on the string is a vignette of around 100 to 200 words.  Please enjoy.

Virtual Morgan

Twenty one centuries later and the world has been taken over by technology. It has grew rapidly, has increased our knowledge, and has made many tasks easier and faster. Technology has become peoples most common recreational past time. As it is being used by most age groups, millennial's are the stars of the show. Social media and video game consuls are the most used technological upgrades used by the younger population. Social media is a way for this young population to stay connected with each other and update others on what is going on in their life.

As stated in "Like. Flirt. Ghost: A Journey Into The Social Media Lives of Teens," "Besides, ask any teen how to use social media-what those rules are- and they won't be able to tell you a thing. Bust ask them targeted questions and they'll break down a palimpsest of etiquette in rote, exhaustive detail..." This was proven in class as Dr. Justus asks his class questions about Snapchat. Many of us could break down his specific questions, however, if he would have vaguely asked "What is Snapchat?" or "How do you use Snapchat?" no one would have known exactly how to break it down enough to explain. I was able to answer a majority of his questions during class because I would describe myself as social media savvy.

I am just like any other typical girl that loves to update their Instagram accounts on their latest adventures, outfits, or best friends birthdays.  This is the site I spend a majority of my time on between all of my social media accounts. "Why do people do this?" is a common question my mother likes to ask me. I never have a good answer besides "This is what kids do now-a-days, Mom." I post a lot on this site and have a decent amount of followers, however, I'm not dedicated enough to get upset if I do not receive a certain amount of "likes" on a photo. I mostly enjoy posting so I will be able to have something to look at when I grow old to reminisce on the memories. My most recent Instagram post is the photo below, wishing a great friend from home, a happy birthday by sharing a memory we shared at Taco Bell. The mild sauce packet that I'm holding in this pictures states, "you're my soul mate."

Snapchat is the second most used social media site on my Iphone. There are so many different reasons as to why. The best reason I could give is because it's just an easier and more fun version  of texting. Sending a funny selfie of yourself and asking whats going on for the weekend is more entertaining than just sending them a text message.

Twitter is a close second to Snapchat of apps i use mostly. Twitter is where I let out my wittier self. Well, at least I like to think that I'm funny. I could scroll through my timeline for hours and watch all the funny animal videos or read all the sarcastic tweets coming from my peers. Its pretty neat to see when someone is going through the same situation as you or if someone has the same smart aleck humor as you.

Facebook is the most used social media and this is because it is more open to age ranges. This was the first social media I ever had and I am slowly growing out of it. I check it once in awhile to check on my family and to see what the people from high school are up to. My profile pictures usually stick to photos of me including some family member. It is currently a picture of my brother, my aunt Mary Lou, my Mom, and I.

As one could see, I could classify myself as social media savvy. I enjoy the entertainment that comes from each and every site. I would like to say that I am the same person on and off the screen. I do not try to present a person different from who I am. People know I am pretty heavily active on social networks and I myself know it too, and I'm okay with it. I take no offense when people point out how much I play on my phone because that is who I am. Some people like to play a lot of video games, some like to play a lot of sports; I enjoy reading about others and posting about my life. It's a fun way to learn about others and they learn about you.

Virtual Patrick

Homo Digitalis stalks the cybernetic steppe, sling and sack of emojis tied to his canvas belt.  Winter is mounting in the land of Facebook.  Likes are scarce, and reactions are even harder to come by.  Digitalis halts at a river, furtively scanning his folders for the right image to offer up to the gods.  He finds it, throws it into the rushing water, and waits.

For many living in the developed world, there lies a division between Homo Commonus and Home Digitalis.  One reflects who we show ourselves to be in common, unplugged interactions, while the other reflects who we present ourselves to be in the digital realm.  Neither person can completely capture who we are at our core, in our fabric of being, but both can reveal parts of that complex material.

"Two Worlds"

Deception is a common vice for both Commonus and Digitalis.  Sometimes it isn't even a deliberate action.  We as humans lie about ourselves or manipulate our personages constantly for various reasons.  Perhaps we wish to impress someone or appease an argumentative combatant.  Usually, these are small deceptions, and they do not go so far as to truly bear false witness against one's neighbors.  But they can.  These deceptions can destroy one's relationships both with others and with oneself; however, often we get away with these deceptions.  This feat can be achieved with Homo Commonus, and many do pull the wool over a multitude of eyes.  It is Homo Digitalis, on the other hand, who gets the bad rap.  Through social media, we can become who we wish to be, no matter how far it is removed from who we really are.  Through social media, we can live two or three or tens of different li(v)es.

There is a distinct difference between a li(f)e and a persona.  In my online workings, I aim to stay true to myself, while allowing for a few personas.  These personas take some aspects of my "self" and run with them.  We as human beings are wildly complex.  Could we show all of ourselves online anyway?  Most people never see the full breadth of our "selves" from Homo Commonus even over years of contact, not because we are hiding pieces from them, but simply because there are so many pieces to see.

My Twitter persona is probably my most distinctive.  On Twitter, I am a professional, a member of the field of creative writing.  I am also a low-key musician, blogger, and Digital Humanist.  Most of the time, it's about business.  I can reply to my friends' tweets in a more personal manner, yet it is still the professional aspect of myself who is being developed by these interactions.  Politics are especially taboo for my Twitter persona (though that is not the case for many writers out there).

A cover spread I once retweeted

On Instagram, I'm mostly absent.  When I'm present, I'd like to think that I'm kinda suave.  I haven't gone out of my way to show a particularly-suave image of my "self;" I don't go that far.  There are simply very few photos and videos that I feel the need to share, and these happen to be some of my suavier ones.

In the blogging world, I'm just a guy trying to contribute to my field.  I'm a little bit more personable than I am on Twitter, and I allow my less-typical, arguably scatter-brained or quirky (see the first paragraph of this post) aspects have a little light.

On Facebook, I show the widest slice of my "self."  I reveal personal details, engage in occasional political discourse, promote my artistic and professional endeavors, and try to maintain a decent level of suavacitude.  (That's totally a word.)  My Facebook profile is my oldest and most open account.

My Facebook profile picture (and Senior yearbook photo)

I cannot say that I am free of all deceptions, both as Commonus and Digitalis.  They are both human, remember.  My goal, however, is to always stay true to my "self" even in the digital world.  I may have different personas across different platforms, but all of them are me, just different pieces of me.

Watermelone, In Trippy Fo'm

What is Digital Humanities

Digital humanities: it employs the use of technology for research of humanities and subjects technology for questioning. It is essentially a relationship between humanities and the digital. (DH) was once referred to as “Humanities Computing.” What it really bubbles down to is the intersection between the once normal humanities and now the new and improved digital form, which allows for more in depth research and computing into images and text. A playful way to use humanities in this modern era where everything is done through technology. Whether it is on your iPad, iPhone, laptop or many others, we can now teach and research new ways of digital humanities.

Another way of describing digital humanities is information in electronic form. We work through electronic literature in class going through different processes of clicking on one thing to take you to another. Also having a story or information brought to you through these games/works of art. Finally Digital humanities can be used as a way to answer many different research questions. The definition of Digital Humanities in my eyes has and will forever continue to formulate in to something truly amazing to be studied.

Digital Humanities: What is this stuff?

Digital Humanities is a spectrum that combines the newer concept of technology with the older study of the humanities. While the combination of these terms may sound simple, it is a broad term that has, in more recent years, become it's own field of study. Technology has become a vital aspect of human life. Due to it's vitality, it has essentially entered the realm of human studies, writings, culture, and understanding.

The study of Digital Humanities is said to have started in the late 1940s with the work of Roberto Busa, and continues to be heavily studied and researched to this day. Digital Humanities, often abbreviated as DH, allows people to use the tools that technology has to offer to study the humanities. By combining the digital world with the humanities, works involving digital mapping, hypermedia, e-literature, and other forms of art that scholars are continuing to study and create.

This is MY definition of digital humanities. However, a true definition is something that DH scholars across the world have been attempting to discover since the '40s. It's as if you're looking through a magnifying glass, attempting to find key aspects of the field and shortly summarize the term, in a way that most definitions are produced. When you look into this metaphorical magnifying glass when attempting to define digital humanities, however, you feel like you are looking into a kaleidoscope- there's so much there, and it can be difficult to make sense of it. It is a field that will, in my opinion, continue to develop and change as technology continues to advance.

Digital Humanities Makes Life Easier

Digital Humanities is a not-so-basic mix between the "digital" world and all of the humanities. You may be thinking that I’m about to explaining everything under the sun, but false. It explores the technological ways the human race has evolved. Digital humanities covers all types of experiments on how the internet and humans interact and how us humans us the internet to our fullest potential to conduct works of art such as electronic poetry and electronic literature. Also including humans making use of the technological tools for types of research, analyzing, studying, teaching, and understanding our world as a whole.

To evaluate on electronic literature and electronic poetry, it's more complex than the human brain can possibly wrap around. It's not simply literary works and poems written online. It's using the tools online to conduct amazing unique individual pieces. Works that sometimes are not even readable, but to get the reader thinking about what the author was trying to get across for creating such a unique piece.

Back to digital humanities, it explains how we humans make the humanities digitized. Anything that is “real” or alive in the world, is possible to be made digital. Once made digital, it is in easier access for everyone to have and use the information to learn about or learn with. In our generation, reaching things digitized is an option at any moment.

With our generation, and almost everyone having a smartphone, the internet is available all day every day right in our pockets. When there is a person questioning things, it takes approximately 30 seconds to get their phone out, bring up Safari, and typing in that question in the search bar. Bam, an answer to any question possible is available immediately.

Digital humanities makes life easier on our generation because it gives us impatient people what we want and what we are searching for or being plain out curious about right on the spot.

A Total E-Glitch of the Heart

“Digital Humanities” (DH) is the field in which practitioners mock robots for being unable to feel. Formerly known as “humanities computing,” digital humanities blends modern binary technologies with the human essence. It inspects and expresses humanity through a lens of 1's and 0's. The field yearns to exploit the cold core of the digital realm to better understand the sapien soul. It is a total e-glitch of the human heart, though it is a good one.

Projects in the Digital Humanities take many shapes. All humanities branches can factor into the field, and some practices border the social sciences in their applications. Technologies like Voyant Tools perform "deep-reading" to analyze large (or small) bodies of text. E-literature brings the electric to literature (boogie, woogie, woogie). Data mapping and data visualization turn blocks of data into more palatable images. Archives and indexes like Google Books preserve knowledge and art for the future. These are just a few of the tree's branches.

Pinning the Digital Humanities down is a little like wrestling a mountain cat—you might get growled at. Scholarly opinion varies greatly regarding who belongs to the field. Some assert that virtually everyone belongs, while others would limit the honor to those fighting in the name of the squad. As Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Scholarly Communication of the MLA, notes in "The Humanities, Done Digitally," "every 'What Is Digital Humanities?' panel aimed at explaining the field to other scholars winds up uncovering more differences of opinion among its practitioners. Sometimes those differences develop into tense debates about the borders of the field and about who's in and who's out."

There are a few elements to DH that can generally be agreed upon. Digital Humanities is an interdisciplinary realm of study. It has some attributes of an independent discipline, but overall it carves out slices of many humanities disciplines, the discipline of computer science, and some social science disciplines to build a cohesive framework in which scholars and laypeople alike may work. Digital tools are used by digital humanists in most of their work. Those tools range as wide as the applications of the field. Though digital humanists can work alone, one of the hallmarks of the field is its dedication to the collective mind. Most projects, besides those in e-literature (and even some of those projects), are advanced by a group.

Defining the Digital Humanities is an onerous task. Perhaps someone in the field ought to use its technologies to study the body of literature on the subject and find a way to put it into words. Or maybe not. Isn't one of the concerns of the field the expansion of language through the non-linear? A digital poem may be able to define it better than I can here in black ink, even with all the hyperlinks. I am but one cog in the great clock of DH. I won't use up any more of your time, just now, blogging on the subject.