Week 8: Katelyn Black

As we have seen throughout our time together in this theoretical multimedia course, We have seen various examples of the new type of ‘digital databases’ that take various shape and form. This week’s curated projects were no exception. How does data-driven journalism take on so many shapes and forms and remain effective in different ways?

The Post Secret Archives is a very simple and clean presentation of photographs that have been hashtagged to link to the archival page. This is a great use of social media to facilitate the communication and efficiency between the creators and the audience. There is a button to view a “random secret” and I think this was an interesting addition to the blog site. It allows audiences to feel like they are having an experience that is uniquely their own, instead of receiving all of the newest postcards in the same fashion that everyone else viewing the site at that time would also access. This archival web page is designed in a very simplistic, clean fashion and allows the postcards to be the standout piece of material on the page.

The Hurricane Digital Memory Bank (great choice for a name!) is slightly more diverse in it’s presentation than Postsecret. Along with many other databases we have looked at, HDMB hopes to “foster some positive legacies by allowing the people affected by these storms to tell their stories in their own words, which as part of the historical record will remain accessible to a wide audience for generations to come”. I was really struck with the use of the word ‘legacies’ in this statement of purpose. It was very important for the curators of this project to allow people to tell their stories in the own words, aiding them in leaving their legacy behind in the informational architecture of the digital realm. One of the collections, The Katrina Kids Project Artwork, displaying 135 pieces of artwork, allowed children to express their sorrow, loss, and hope for a brighter future. This collection displays a unique way to archive the story of hurricane survival through the eyes of the children that witnessed it first hand. Although we have seen many stories surrounding our youth, I don’t think we have seen many instances of children’s own artistic expression throughout our time spent studying various online data-driven journalism pieces. Why don’t we allow more databases of this kind? Do children not seem to have the same amount of clout and credibility? I would argue that children are much better at telling the whole truth. They are not afraid of unleashing the truth, unaware of any consequences it might have.

To me, La Buena Vida was the most visually appealing from the beginning. Although this might not be the most crucial aspect of an online presence, I would argue that the first impression of a webpage can be crucial for how long someone chooses to stay attentive with the content of the site.  Also, this project does a wonderful job of addressing my, as well as previous other peoples, issues with understanding content through a language barrier. La Buena Vida allows english speakers to quickly find english sections within the site. I think that this issue of creating a bilingual site was heavily addressed in this project due to the fact that the content is in direct relation to U.S. foreign policy.  The ability to cipher through various videos based on the question they address seemed like such an ingenious idea! That way people can access exactly what they are looking for, instead of being bogged down by going through every single video, like so many archived video sites tend to do.

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1 comment to Week 8: Katelyn Black

  • kpokrass@uoregon.edu

    Hi Katelyn – Maybe people are concerned about possible legal issues surrounding soliciting minor participation. I don’t know? It always seems to be a touchy subject when you try to include minors who legally do not have consent on their own. However, I do agree that the database platform could be a beneficial tool for reaching youth. I wonder how the HDMB was able to pull of their kids project successfully.

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