To make Cursor No. 2 more practical, I adapted it:
this version (“v1”) starts out as the original, with a trail of lines covering the information of the respective page or post or dataset and hence disturbing the user in their research – in order to make them aware of the bias, silences, distortions in the data and of their own agency.
But for the sake of usability, in this version, the trail-effect stops after 15 seconds – and morphs into a single, short line, just as if you are crossing out a word. That way, users can proceed with their research, while being reminded of the original effect at the same time.
As for the design of the cursor:
the line is meant to replicate the movement of crossing something out – written text, sketches, images, scribbles, information, annotations et al..
Both as a direct hint at what happens when someone eliminates data for whatever reason; and as a visual reminder that research and knowledge production might be prone to inadvertently create gaps and silences.
What was important when creating this cursor: it won’t interfere with the actual data and your results – they remain untouched, the practicality of the database stays intact.