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The Digital Decaying Text Machine is a speculative installation that envisions how digital text deteriorates when neglected. Using responsive sensors, the work reveals how attention shapes preservation, questioning the permanence and ecological cost of our digital media.
Concept
The Digital Decaying Text Machine explores the concept of digital decay in text files. It investigates how the degree of attention a piece of text receives influences its preservation over time.
Mechanism
At its core, the system operates responsively, utilizing a proximity sensor to detect the amount of time an individual spends engaging with the displayed text. As users interact with the text or walk away, the system gradually degrades the content using the TF-IDF algorithm. This algorithm intelligently assesses the importance of each word based on its contextual relevance and frequency.
In this process, less significant words are filtered out first, while essential keywords linger longer, ensuring that the core meaning of the text remains intact for as long as possible. Consequently, as attention wanes, the text transforms, becoming vaguer and progressively smaller in file size.
Implications
This interplay between attention and degradation questions the permanent nature of digital data and emphasizes the often overlooked, profound environmental consequences of [non-degrading] digital content.
