Influence(rs) of History
As DH develops and places begin to use different methods to connect with the public, we are able to see if that is a sustainable and long-term method or if it is simply part of the trend. The staying power of a method shows how historians are keeping up with the public and dispel old rumors. In my case, I will always be that historian that has a long story for you! That means Facebook, blogs, and maybe even Twitter threads are the way to go for me and some members of the public. However, how do we get people to get engaged when they dislike reading my long paragraphs?!
Each Space has its Own Personality
As social media continues to grow and change with the general attitude of the public, there are certain vibes or feelings that each outlet will hold. The most recent is that Twitter is a news update or discussion forum. Then there is TikTok with videos from 15 seconds to three minutes where people can be creative and post anything from facts to storytimes. It has a very similar feeling to the early days of YouTube! There has been a slow move for historians as they start to find those trends useful to pull public interest to their site or their print work, but I think there is a mentality missing here. Once that attention is gained on a topic, why not keep that momentum going on that platform? There is always the opportunity to promote one’s work within that, of course, but why not keep that style going? It is ok to have different styles based on the platform, I mean academia has been doing that for a long time with books versus journal articles.
Dispelling Old Stereotypes
There is a lot of old stereotypes about historians that the digital age had changed. One is that historians are obsessed with exact dates and are antisocial. Digital History has been a space for those with computer and interdisciplinary skills to thrive. Bring things like interactive museum exhibits and new ways to view history to the public has given a lot of weight to what historians do. Not all of us are sitting in a library reading book… at least not all the time. Coding and other technology skills, like social media, has revived the interest and the meaning of the career to those who wouldn’t have been interested before.