the.com/digital artifacts
the ghosts a file leaves behind when compression forgets to be gentle.
means unwanted glitches, blocks, or distortions in digital media caused by lossy compression, transmission errors, or processing shortcuts.
from borrowed from science, where an artifact is a false signal created by the tool observing it, not the thing itself; digital media inherited the word once jpeg and mp3 started throwing away data to save space.
jpeg blockscome from 8x8 pixel grids the format compresses separately
mp3 swishthat underwater sound is masked frequencies cut to save bits
zoom faceblur and freeze are packet loss, not your webcam dying
deep fried memesartifacts intentionally stacked for aesthetic, not accident
for instance
jpeg blocking — visible 8x8 squares on heavily compressed low quality photos
youtube macroblocking — blurry colored squares during fast motion on low bandwidth streams
crt moire — shimmering patterns from scanning striped patterns on old screens