Nuovi strumenti per le scienze umane: from books to Facebook?

Gino Roncaglia, Università della Tuscia

Information Sciences 101:

•digital texts = low requirements in terms of memory and computing resources

•digital images/sounds = heavier requirements in terms of memory and computing resources

•digital video = still more memory and computing resources are required

However…

•we mainly use digital equipment to listen to music…

•we mainly use digital equipment to record and watch images and video…

•we mainly use paper to read books

Well, isn’t this just wonderful?

•we work in the humanities, we love books…

•…books are ergonomically perfect (Eco)…

•…and they feel and smell just great!

All (almost) true, but…

•what happens to the new generation of digital natives?

•they live in a digital environments where texts are supposed to be simple, short, modular

•…no place for the kind of complex, argumentative books we are used to

And what happens to our research habits?

Shorter papers and web sites are slowly taking over as tools of choice even for scholarly research in the humanities.

And this might have major consequences on the argumentative structure of our research work, emphasizing the tendency to focus on specific topics rather than on broader issues, and to oversimplify wide-scope and survey works.

Why is that paper books are so good?

•we can use them everywhere

•they don’t need batteries, are easy to read, are not expensive, no wires around…

•…they are perfect both for lean forward and lean back reading

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbird/19650368/

Lean forward? Lean back?

•lean forward: active reading

•lean back: relaxed reading

•mobile reading

Computer screens are poor reading devices

•lean forward only (no lean back, little mobility)

•emitting light = easy eye strain

E-book readers are still in their early youth

•1st generation e-books

•2nd generation e-books

•toward a 3rd generation?

A really good e-book reader would be…

•…just like a book, but…

•…with the added benefits of digital media

•The magic book of Mr. Tusmann (E.T.A. Hoffmann, Die Brautwahl)

Among the added benefits…

•video, sound, but mainly…

•…active content

Active content? Sounds familiar…

•Facebook applications…

•Google gadgets…

•Apple and Windows widgets…

•Web applications

•and in the future…

• ….e-book embedded applications

Facebook? Sounds familiar…

•the possible role of research oriented social networks