The term Order From Chaos is used in many different circumstances in colloquial speech. However, it has a specific meaning in the context of this tutorial – namely the organisation of any set of things with the assistance of Digital Technologies. Examples of such things include: Music Collections, Loft Contents, Family Photos, Household Files, and Letters. Such Collections of material usually start out being in a purely physical form, however, a growing amount of material is now being created in digital form with a consequential huge impact on the way we live.
This first three parts of this section explore the terms, ‘Order From Chaos’, ‘Collections’, and ‘Digital Technology’, in more detail. They discuss their specific meanings and indicate their range of coverage within the context of this tutorial. The final part of the section seeks to remind us of the changes that Digital Technology has made on our collections and the way we use them.
Before venturing further, readers should bear in mind an overarching point about the scope of the whole tutorial: most of the findings in this site relate to only one household and cannot be used to reach general conclusions; they show only what can be done, NOT what everybody is doing. As such its findings and conclusions can only be used as a starting point for further thinking and investigation.