As a computer science major, I have had the opportunity to interact with databases, data structures and algorithms. From my perspective, I see databases as the powerhouse all of the things that we interact in our daily lives. With the COVID-19 crisis, we are interacting with social media more than ever. I have noticed recently that I have got a lot more notification from Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram more than ever. This is due to the databases that power your texts, and making sure that your data stays there safe/unsafe depending on the “terms” that you are giving your data to these corporations, but one thing to realize that is that with school going online, more people go online and play video games.
It must be noted that games are narratives, and that games are made possible by databases. There are many examples of how databases are the backbone of narrative. Think of films, for example. Combining multiple recordings and video cuts, directors create movies, which are undoubtedly narratives.
On the other hand, Manovich in his book The Language of New Media argues that “rather than trying to correlate database and narrative forms with modern media and information technologies, or deduce them from these technologies, I prefer to think them as two competing imaginations, two basic creative impulses, two essential responses to the world.” Based on my observation, I think it is quite faulty not to correlate databases and narrative forms with modern media as databases are almost every where in today’s world.
In addition, if we look at history and how our brains work, it is quite unfair to argue that databases and narratives could be separated. In short, it can be said that narratives are a product of the human brain, part of the human creativity and imagination. It’s reasonable to argue that human brain is a large database that registers every piece of information that it sees. It knows how an animal looks like, and uses its creativity to create “religious” narratives and make gods seem like an amalgamation of two animals. Isn’t it fair to argue then that databases and narratives are allies rather than enemies when we look at it outside of the modern media and information technologies?
I believe that Manovich’s argument needs more support when it argues that databases are competing with narratives. I invite him to consider many more examples where databases go hand in hand with narratives.