To represent something digitally means turning it into symbolic units. Most times this means using binary code which can be stored and shared. I talk more about this in my blog post: The Essence of Digital. Digital is different and almost the opposite of analog forms which capture more of the real world. Think of a vinyl record. This is an analog device. Where as an MP3 file is digital. The analog format captures sound waves as they are in a smooth and unboken flow. The digital version samples those waves as intervals reducing them to data points. This shift to digital offers clear advantages. Information can be replicated exactly and transmitted across the world in seconds. This technology is also preserved in ways that physical analog items cannot match. A digital text can be stored in the cloud and searched instantly. Analog texts, like handwritten documents are vulnerable to time and are harder to copy or share. Digital forms do come with their own tradeoffs. There is often a loss in subtle detail. A compressed image may miss a color speck or a digitized voice may lack compassion. Analog forms often feel more natural because they reflect reality in a more direct and continuous way. Both have their pros and cons. It really depends what you are looking to use them for.
