There is a need to address the complexities of globalization, colonization, and the alienated labor of people of color in the production of technology that advances digital scholarship practices that they will not be able to access or directly benefit from.
Bailey, Moya Z. “All The Digital Humanists Are White, All The Nerds Are Men, But Some Of Us Are Brave.” Journal of Digital Humanities, vol. 1, 2011, journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-1/all-the-digital-humanists-are-white-all-the-nerds-are-men-but-some-of-us-are-brave-by-moya-z-bailey/.
This passage caught my attention because although I was aware that making technology such as smartphones takes a large labor force, I was not aware that some of the workers making the phones did not benefit from the end product. This, however, is the reality for many workers involved in the process of cobalt mining, an essential mineral that goes into the production of lithium-ion batteries. This disparity between the people involved in making technology and the people who have access to that technology got me thinking about the possibility that the materials on my phone could unwittingly connect me to someone across the globe. The idea of somehow making a diagram that could show how a single cobalt miner in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is connected to the world intrigues me now. I feel like too often we forget that there is an entire labor force of people that goes into making the computers, phones, or just about any technology product we use on a daily basis. Maybe putting a face to these workers and showing that they play an integral part in making our world would help improve their situation.
An example of a beautiful chord diagram
This term I am interested in learning more about chord diagrams in the digital humanities and how they can be used to tell a story. Chord diagrams are fascinating to look at and provide information in ways that normal data tables would never be able to. I want to learn more about the process that goes into making a chord diagram to hopefully be able to make one someday.
