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The Power of an Image

Earl Morris’ article Photography as a Weapon illustrates the significance of using photographs in media and forms of propaganda. While words are concrete and stick well with readers, images serve as a permanent visual for audiences to refer to when looking back on a memory. Photographs are truly what stimulates the mind and help jog one’s memory. Therefore, they are useful in aspects of media such as newspapers, bilboards, and other types of advertisements.

Below is a past photograph of supposed Iranian missiles which was photoshopped:

At first glance it seems legitimate, which is probably how much time one would spend looking at it while browsing through the news. Upon further examintation, you can see small details which make the photograph questionable. While discussing the photograph, Morris points out that when we absorb information, we do not absorb whether or not said information is true. He explains how we only remember the misinformation but we “forget the tag associated with it.” Taking this into account, even a fake photograph would be effective because it would still stick with its viewers. This statement made me second guess a lot of the photographs and information used in media and advertising. Since it is difficult to process a lot of information at once, it easy to not pay attention to all that is being heard. One could easily forget if something was false.

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Excercise From Class

 

What were the defining cultural aspects of the 1920’s?

Many of the research topics we discussed in class were interesting, but I found that this is the one I wanted to explore the most. When I think of the 20s there are some obvious aspects of culture which come to mind: flapper dresses, suits, jazz music, etc. It is funny how certain elements can represent an entire decade. While this helps identify each decade and makes each one unique, it sometimes paints the wrong picture. Other defining cultural elements can be neglected.

Through my research, I came across many articles describing dance marathons in the 1920s. Many dances were performed and created during this time period, and it is important to take note of the cultural significance and impact. Dance marathons were appealing because they were a good indicator of the level of indurance that one possessed. This was a large cultural phenomenon which often drew in contestants simply because of its appeal. Below is a photo of two contestants who had clearly been dancing for a long time.

The photo, however, is also a good depiction of the style, technology, and media of the 1920s. The woman’s dress and shoes were common fashion assets among women. The man’s hair is slicked back, which was largely popular among men. The quality of the photo gives the viewer and idea of the camera which was used during the time. The photo is almost misogynistic in that the woman is bringing the man down, and he looks at her with disgust. It is telling of the role of women during this era; she was fighting to keep up as an equal, but did not succeed. Carol Martin’s article Dance Marathons: Performing American Culture in the 1920’s and 1930’s describes the battle for dominance between men and women during dance marathons. Since women are strong dancers, they would sometimes be the glue to hold a couple together. The men, however, would strive for dominance, refuse to admit if a women were leading, and would criticize her if she brought them down. The conflict is interesting to think about and telling of the culture of the 1920s.

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Potential Paper Topics (Revised)

The following are some topics I have considered researching for my paper:

  • Discuss the development of social networking. How has it evolved and what is its impact on American culture and society?
  • How has the invention of television played a role in the development of presidental campaigns?
  • How does an increasingly digital world impact the preservation of history?
  • How does the increase of technology create a more globalized world? What are the pros and cons of this?

I think each of these topics would yield interesting search results and produce a thought-provoking paper. I am most interested in the first topic and the last one.

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Why is the Past Becoming Digital?

Why is History More Digital?

The Rapid Increase of Technology

The past few decades have shown much technological progress in a brief period of time. Techonology’s evolution has been a long and dispersed process, however the process is quickening. Resultingly, many aspects of history have been recorded digitally rather than by hand. This process proves that, while there are many perks that come with performing tasks the original way, society tends to conform to newer, easier ways of life.

I can personally relate to this situation. As a twenty-year-old, I have spent most of my life in a technologically advanced society. Thus, most people would expect me to be as techonologically savy as the rest of my generation. While I am skilled at some of these processes, I often prefer “the old way” of doing things. I have the option of recording my notes in class on a laptop, but I find the process of writing to be more fulfilling in terms of absorbing information. The college classroom often lends itself to using a laptop– professors speak rapidly and typing is convenient, laptops can hold a lot of information, and they are easily transportable. However, I continue to resist conforming.

Easy Access to Information

Chapter three of Daniel Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig’s Digital History discusses the ease of accessing information, as well as the unlimited space. One of the perks of history’s digital transformtion is the ability to provide a document with ease, and create a new one without running out of space. The lack of limitations creates more options and allows for the creation and expansion of new material. In this sense, I support the digital transformation of history. Personally, I feel it is important to embrace new options, while still maintaining pieces of the past in a traditional form, such as handwritten notes. A balance of the past and the future can create a good present.

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HTML practice post

This is an important header

This is a less important header

This is a paragraph

This is an unnumbered list:

  • Item 1
  • Item 2
  • Item 3

This is a numbered list:

  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3

This is bold text.

This is italic text.

This is a link.

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The Workings of Preserving Digital History

Preserving Digital History

The Skills

There are many skills involved in preserving history via the internet. I found it interesting how much knowledge in coding is involved, and I now have a greater respect for those who construct websites. This is really the first time I have encountered this material before. I have noticed it can be very tedious looking at the formation of the symbols and letters used to form code. Here is an example: codingsample

Historians as Architects

What I found most interesting in this reading was the comparision between historians and architects, which can be found here. The comparison is accurate. Digital historians construct a foundation to support all of the information they wish to display. Historians, like architects, must ask themselves several questions:

  1. Who is this targeting?
  2. What is the layout?
  3. What do I need to include?
  4. Is this aesthetically pleasing?

After asking these questions, historians construct a “home” for all of their information. Like a home or a building, the information is subject to change or reconstruction. There are also many factors they must take into account when constructing a website:

  • Type of database
  • Type of server
  • Type of software

With this in mind, historians can successfully construct the ideal website to preserve information.

Importance

Digital historians provide the public with the opportunity to retrieve information at any time. By creating a “home” for the content, internet users have endless amounts of information at their disposal. Search engines are the best way to give the maximum amount of options to retrieve information. We have historians to thank for the ease of performing research.

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