Today, text searching has allowed us to navigate through databases by simply looking up words and phrases. It is convenient as words are searched and indexed, enabling one to find other key terms and or resources that correlate, expanding their research. “Keyword searches enables large-scale media searching: representations of a specific word, etc”.
Text searching through various databases has made academic research less of a task. It is easy for me to type in a common word and watch it appear in many other documents, files, and images. Milligan states that “historical databases have profoundly reshaped the foundation upon which Canadian historiography is constructed”.He also states “historians have overwhelmingly embraced these online tools”.
The use of text searching has also allowed for the rise of digital projects. Digital projects have the ability to create social change by focusing on specific topics/issues, gathering detailed information, and drawing audiences that may potentially further findings of such research. The application of digital projects have added to scholarships. It has enhanced digital media by creating new research tools and new and emerging subdisciplines.
Over time, digital media has had some losses which have included mail digitization. It was often an issue for documents to be read through digital processors. Magazines and newspapers alike were the issue. Physical, paper copies were done away with as they were microfilmed, digitized, and as a result, data was lost. However, digital media has made it possible to access worldwide information. Giving many “new and different perspectives through online exchange to create and collaborate”. The development of digital media creates an understanding of synthesized information from across the globe which has added to existing as well as generated knowledge. Digital sources today are in many ways different from the traditional ones. Though evolved, features that call for a better experience is needed for future digitization projects.
References:
Milligan, Ian. (December 2013). Illusionary Order:Online Databases, Optical Character Recognition, and Canadian History, 1997–2010. The Canadian Historical Review, Volume 94(4). Retrieved from https://muse-jhu-edu.mutex.gmu.edu/article/527016
A, Menten. Five Ways To Use Technology And Digital Media For Global Learning. Retrieved from https://asiasociety.org/education/five-ways-use-technology-and-digital-media-global-learning
Techopedia. What Is a Full- Text Search. Retrieved from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/17113/full-text-search
