There is a widespread belief that analogue is real and digital is not real. For example, from the essay “Digitality, virtual reality and the ‘empathy machine’””
“The essay… argues that human agents are analogue agents from an analogue world. Digitality, by contrast, is an essentially alienating sphere wherein digital media cannot replicate analogue communication processes without generating gaps, voids, and ‘missing information’”
I respectfully propose that there are three mistakes in this assertion.
First mistake: We are not analogue. We are real. The term “analogue” is often misused in contemporary discourse, as is its root, “analogy.” The terms analogue and digital describe systems that represent or parallel reality, but they are not synonymous with reality itself.
Second mistake: Digital is analogue. Both digital and analogue systems are methods of representing reality, each with distinct mechanisms and limitations. Digital media, for example, must ultimately be converted into an analogue form before we can perceive it through our senses.
Third mistake: digital systems act as an intermediate state. Properly functioning digital systems replicate the information they encode with high fidelity. This is explained by the Nyquist-Shannon-Kotelnikov theorem, a fundamental principle of information theory that underpins modern technologies such as communication systems, space exploration, medical diagnostics, and statistical analysis. Digitization allows us to store, analyse, and manipulate information efficiently. If the digitization process significantly altered the original information, these systems would fail to function correctly.
Stairstep approximation- this is not how digital works 🙂
The concept of “gaps” in the digitization process reflects a misunderstanding of Shannon’s theorem. When the range of information required to be encoded is defined and the sampling rate meets or exceeds twice the highest frequency in that range (as per the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem), the digital system can accurately capture and reconstruct the original signal. The reconstruction process does not involve a stair-step approximation of discrete levels; rather, it follows a single mathematically determined method to interpolate the original continuous signal. This principle is mathematically established through Shannon’s theorem and is demonstrated through visual and auditory examples, such as those presented in this video.
In everyday language, we still differentiate between “digital” and “film” cameras, which may reinforce the notion that these systems are fundamentally distinct. This obscures the reality that both are representations of the same underlying world. Such misunderstandings might reflect cultural habits of oversimplification or a broader disengagement from creative practices. The commercialization of art may discourage individuals from pursuing it, based on the mistaken belief that art must equate to perfection.
A skilled craftsman using either a digital or a film camera can exploit the unique strengths and limitations of both mediums. For example, Pierre Schaeffer Man Ray and Jimi Hendrix leveraged the imperfections of analogue tools—such as tape recorders, valve amplifiers, and film—to create distinctive works. These so-called “flaws” have since become integral to the aesthetics of music, film, and photography, shaping our cultural practices and preferences.
Human memory often fails to fully account for life before technologies like film, vinyl, or tape. The pre-industrial world offered different sensory and artistic experiences. Attending a live play or listening to unamplified music- in a theatre or around a campfire- can provide a more direct connection to human creativity, unmediated by technological systems.
Artistic success often involves iterative failure. Recognising and embracing this process might encourage more people to engage in creative endeavours, regardless of the tools or mediums they choose.
As the saying goes, those who succeed typically fail more often than those who never try.
