There’s a widespread idea that “People who make things are simply different [read: better] than those who don’t.”
Debbie Chachra, “Why I Am Not a Maker,” The Atlantic, January 23, 2015.
The Digital Humanities is still a concept that I’m learning more about, but I think that Debbie Chacra’s article Why I Am Not a Maker is a powerful argument that extends to many different aspects of life in today’s society.
This particular quote grabbed my attention because I think it really brings forth an argument that will divide a lot of people: “makers” vs. “caregivers”. This is an debate that extend to an extremely large swath of the current world. Are the people who create websites like Youtube, Twitch, and Netflix more important than the people who moderate and make sure that the websites are used correctly? Are the people who create vaccines more important than those who safely administer those vaccines to the public? I believe that this argument is much more complex than that. One of Chacra’s main points is that much of what is created is made by white men, however behind the scenes are often caregivers who are somewhat invisible because the makers receive all the credit. But are those who create more important than those who do the analysis and upkeep of these creations? I think this is a very interesting question to ask.
This quote really sparked for me because I use those aforementioned websites so much and I really can see the point that Chacra is trying to make. As an example, Twitch as a website is a ton of code and that code is very important. Those who create the code are very richly compensated, however many of those who do all the moderation on the website to upkeep Twitch’s terms of service are often not compensated. One of Chacra’s points is that those moderators who arguably do more work are more invisible than the creators. This quote just resonated a lot for me.
I’m really interested in learning more about 3D modeling this term because 3D modeling is something I feel will have a lot of application in the present and the future. It also just seems like a really cool technology to have at your disposal and put to use.
