Manovich offers an artistic definition of a database<\/a> and a few specific applications of the data structure, but I want to discuss the fundamentals of the technology alongside very popular sources of databases and the ethical, and slightly nerdy, importance of databases<\/a>\u00a0— the qualities of which carry physical affects and digital applications that require computational care while sometimes perpetuating moral questions.<\/p>\n

What is a database?<\/strong>
\nIn its simplest form a database is a sequence of rows and columns whose rows correspond to elements or packets of information, be it a person, tweet, google search result, etc. and whose column corresponds to a piece of the information: name, author, date posted, etc.<\/p>\n

<\/a>One of the most popular forms of databases is an SQL<\/a> database. (SQL = “Structured Query Language”) Wherein the data exists as a table with columns the user can sort, alter and make queries or selections\/filters to to get information out.<\/p>\n

Where do we encounter databases?
\n<\/strong>In addition to video games, museums, and the generalized “Web” mentioned in Manovich’s work<\/a>, there are a few increasingly popular examples of databases which have large impacts on the modern digital world.<\/p>\n

Google:<\/em><\/a> When we use the word ‘google’ we are simply referring to the interface used to access the database that the company Google has collected. “Spiders” or, as Google sometimes puts it, ‘web crawlers’ visit the entirety of the generally accessible ‘Internet’ and gather information which Google stores in their database. Users then query the data stored for information like articles, images, documents, webpages, etc. Google’s Search Algorithm holds similar structure to SQL databases is in its filtering and sorting of data by its diverse variables.<\/p>\n