Although it is increasingly recognised that the tools we use to examine our objects of study change our relationship to them, this is not an area that has been studied in any great detail within Digital Archaeology beyond perhaps discussions of the effects of different categories of software (the impact of GIS or database applications, for instance, or the effect of enlarged access to open data sources) on how we organise and understand the past. I have suggested elsewhere that through understanding how these technologies operate on us as well as for us, we can seek to ensure that they serve us better in what as archaeologists we already do, and help us initiate new and innovative ways of thinking about the past (Huggett 2004; 2012a). This entails going beyond the relatively commonplace reflections on specific software applications and their context of use: the tools we create, adopt, refine and employ have the effect of augmenting and scaffolding our thought and analysis, and consequently I have argued that they need to be approached in a considered, aware, and knowledgeable manner.
it is highlights how the digital tools we use do more than organize data—they actively shape how we think about and interpret the past. He suggests that technologies “operate on us as well as for us,” meaning they influence not only the results of our research but also the cognitive processes that produce those results. This idea connects directly to my project on Tang poetry and emotion. When I use computational methods such as Voyant Tools and SnowNLP to analyze the emotional vocabulary of poems from the Tang dynasty, these tools shape the patterns I see and the questions I ask. For example, frequency counts or sentiment scores may emphasize some emotions while downplaying others that are culturally embedded in Chinese language and history. Therefore, as Huggett proposes, I must approach these technologies consciously and critically. They can scaffold my thought by helping me visualize large poetic patterns, but they can also reshape my understanding of the texts I study. This awareness encourages me to balance quantitative data with close reading and historical sensitivity, ensuring that the digital analysis deepens rather than distorts my interpretation of Tang emotional expression.