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Digital Heritage: What Happens When We Digitize Everything?

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Visual Heritage in the Digital Age

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Cultural Computing ((SSCC))

Abstract

Research that targets the re-presentation of culture and heritage using tools and techniques of digitization continues to develop worldwide. This chapter discusses digital heritage and what happens when we digitize everything. Society has acknowledged the urgency to capture heritage content in its various forms and the sites it is found in. At the same time, it begs the questions of what the impact of all this digitization will be and how useful or long-lived the results. A focus is placed on the audience, those who receive and experience the resulting digital output such as in a museum or gallery, website, interactive exhibit or any form of mediated digital heritage content. The concept of eternal themes is introduced along with human values related to digital heritage. The impact of digital heritage is discussed in relation to the mobilization of heritage content for diverse audiences. The vanishing virtual and considerations for the future of digital heritage are presented with some key points for conservation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Creative Content and Digital Innovation, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Harold Thwaites

  2. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Harold Thwaites

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  1. Harold Thwaites
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Centre | Digital Humanities Hub, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom

    Eugene Ch'ng

  2. IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Centre | Digital Humanities Hub, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom

    Vincent Gaffney

  3. IBM Visual and Spatial Technology Centre | Digital Humanities Hub, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom

    Henry Chapman

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Thwaites, H. (2013). Digital Heritage: What Happens When We Digitize Everything?. In: Ch'ng, E., Gaffney, V., Chapman, H. (eds) Visual Heritage in the Digital Age. Springer Series on Cultural Computing. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5535-5_17

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