To begin with, one needs to investigate the definition of the word ‘digital’. During the
past 10 years, the digital discourse has presented a variety of contexts within which
one could search for definitions. From a scientific perspective, a digital system is able
to handle raw data by assigning to it discrete (discontinuous) values in order to file it.
“Although digital representations are discrete, the information represented can be either
discrete, such as numbers and letters, or continuous, such as sounds, images, and
other measurements.”1 On the other hand, non-digital (or analog) systems use a continuous
range of values to represent information. The word ‘digital’ is most commonly
used in computing and electronics, especially where actual, real-world information
is converted to binary numerical values. It can also be used to describe a process in
which information is deconstructed into tagged and valued little pieces that can be
formed in various ways, either to be analyzed, manipulated or represented. The core
of this idea is the breakdown of continuous sets of data perceived by human cognition
to a seemingly limitless body of values.2
The first digital tools appeared as simple data processors, going through endless
streams of disconnected values, such as product prices for the market as well as for
statistics. This task marked the birth of computation. More refined machines emerged
during the World War II, when the Allies were struggling to break the German codes.
Since then, the ability to simulate and compare revolutionized the industry, leading
at one point to the adaptation of these early electronic tools for designing purposes,
although mainly for mechanical assemblies. Later on, sophisticated control systems
emerged, introducing automation in production and smoother operations. The digital
tools became media the moment they were able to relate disconnected values, creating
entities that resembled the analog. It was this step that made them popular, because
from that time on, they became understandable. The products seemed smooth
or continuous to the naked eye and only through an extensive zoom mode the pixel
effect was revealed. From a Husserlian point of view, if it looks smooth/analog then it
is considered as such. This is the moment when the digital definition became blurred.
(EN)
