When diving into the digital world, we are faced with the ever-growing question of whether our communication lacks the same authenticity it did in an analog world. When looking at methods of communication, you can define if it is ‘analog’ or ‘digital’ by the integers or continuum that is of primary focus. To be more specific, analog communication doesn’t have a defined number of possible combinations or signals to share a message. This may take the form of dance moves, which are fluid and different each time, to convey specific emotions or experiences. And on the other end, digital communication can be identified by a defined number of integers, symbols, or patterns that limit the possibilities that a message can contain. For example, an image is comprised of pixels that are defined by hex codes or color values, and there are only a certain number of colors the human eye can see, therefore limiting the possible signals the image can represent.
While there are many types of analog communication, I’m going to highlight three of them: dance, live music, and fashion. Dance is widely known as the expression of emotions and storytelling through movement. With the fluidity of the movements, the endless possibilities, and especially the limitless combinations of dance moves, this form of communication is analog. There is no particular intervals, specific ways that things must be presented in (besides techniques, which are slightly different each time), and communicates how someone feels.
When it comes to live music, you could argue that the lyrics in songs are composed of a contained number of words in that language, or that the sheet music is written using limited musical elements, however, live music is an authentic experience that prioritizes emotion as the main form of communication. The volume, tone, passion, and energy that culminates in live music presents a continuous range where you can slightly increase or decrease those values without intervals.
Lastly, fashion provides context about someone’s personality. Fashion can be interpreted in any way and can tell stories through special items like necklaces that reflect memories, or through a style that makes someone feel confident or comfortable. I would argue that it’s widely agreed upon that fashion doesn’t have specific, measurable results that say anything about who someone is or what they believe in. For that reason, for the lack of specific integers that define digital communication, fashion is analog.
And then there are digital forms of communication. For the sake of this post, I’m looking at text messages, email, and recorded music. Although digital forms of communication feel easier to describe, especially in today’s world full of social media and online connections, there are distinct features that make each of these methods digital. First, text messages use a measurable amount of icons, such as letters, symbols, emojis, or GIFs to share a fairly specific message. Through these icons, the computers sending the message to the receiver are using a combination of zeros and ones to run their servers, which also rely on the internet, which is at the core of modern digital communication.
Emails are similar in the sense that they use a limited number of icons to relay a message, as well as their dependence on the Internet, but they are also frequently used to share files. Files such as documents, slideshows, PDFs, images, or videos are all digital forms of communication because they may rely on a set and defined number of pixels, colors, or fonts that are composed of, in the most basic form, zeros and ones. And lastly, recorded music as a form of digital communication. To tie both forms of communication together, recorded music can be considered digital because of the reasons I listed above – lyrics and elements. Many pieces are written with the understanding that there are only so many options and that there is no continuum of opportunities: it’s either this note, or that note.
But what about types of communication that draw a fine line between both analog and communication? One example of communication that could be analog or digital is handwritten notes. In one sense, handwriting a note is analog because each time you make a mark on the paper, it will appear in a unique, one-of-a-kind way that fulfills an infinite number of possibilities within a range. On the other hand, handwriting can be digital because of the language it uses. For example, in the English alphabet, there are only twenty-six letters (plus some symbols, uppercase and lowercase) that can be used to create cohesive thoughts. Because of the defined number of possibilities, the language you are using could be considered digital, but the handwritten design of the note is analog.