A real-world object or concept, like a piece of music, work of art, or handwritten letter, exists in analog form. Sound waves vary smoothly over their duration, and physical objects contain an infinite amount of detail. The digital representation of these objects or concepts converts them into the binary code of 0s and 1s.
Digitization of a work of art, for example, can have many major advantages. The digital version is easier to store and more resistant to noise, or unwanted changes over time. A digital copy of a work of art is resistant to color fading, environmental factors that may cause the art to tarnish, and physical damage to the canvas. Digital formats can also be edited, duplicated, and shared efficiently.
Along with advantages, there are also disadvantages, since digitization cannot perfectly capture reality. Digital systems rely on sampling and quantization, so subtle details present in the original work are lost in the digital copy. Additionally, resolution limits can reduce clarity and fine features. Moreover, experiential qualities of the art are essentially impossible to fully capture digitally, like texture or three-dimensionality.
In short, digitization trades experience and detail for efficiency, reliability, and usability. It is important to preserve what matters most in the representation of a concept or object while taking advantage of what digital systems are good at.