The Highs and Lows of Digital History

In Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosensweig's  article "Promises and Perils of Digital History ", they speak on the changing world we are living in and how technology and the digital world have deeply impacted the way we process and receive information. What I found interesting is that at the beginning of the article the two speak on the belief that the digital age would be ruinous for education and culture. As many of us know this belief has not come into fruition, the technology we have available to us on a daily basis has allowed us to reach new heights and become more involved in the world around us. But what I really loved and enjoyed about this article is that it talked about what technology has done for history, how it has shaped it into this hot commodity that so many people are constantly trying to get more off. Every store, museum school, etc. that you go into these days has some type of online presence. Somewhere that you as the consumer can go and learn more about each place you visited that day. Cohen and Rosensweig go on  to mention how their own website The Center for History and New Media has become a place for people around the country flood to on the anniversary of 9/11, even it is simply for information it brings people together in the search for our countries stories and tragedies.  This ties into what I personally love the most about history and that is its ability to pull people from all walks of life into a similar space even if it only lasts a moment. It allows people who would never have anything in common to connect on something maybe even trivial, but it is a human connection.

As life goes when there are highs there is almost always lows, this counts for digital history. In the article they make the point that there is little to no authority on information on the internet. This allows for people to write what they want when they want even if it is the farthest from the truth. But a counterpoint for that belief is that we must trust others to want to find the truth, to continue their search for knowledge deeper than just what one person said. One must also look at how far the digital age has allowed us to come while still having no overall authority. Everyday it still allows people to learn and educate others. History has always been something that brought people together and the digital age with its high and lows has helped to improve that. The history of almost anything is at your fingertips, so go ahead and get connecting. Welcome to the digital age of online historians!!