Babble Online: Applying Statistics and Design to Sonify the Internet

A statistician (Hansen) and a media artist (Rubin) investigate the application of statistical methods and sound-design principles to the real-time sonification of Internet communications. This paper presents results from two applications: the sonification of browsing activity on Lucent’s Web site, and the sonification of a large number of Internet chat sites in real-time. These experiments suggest new ways to experience the diverse and dynamic data streams generated by modern data networks. As an art-technology collaboration, the project outcomes range from the creation of art installations to the development of practical monitoring platforms. This paper discusses the interplay between these two perspectives, and suggests that each is motivated by a common interest in generating meaningful experiences with dynamic data.