Reading Glitch aesthetics by Iman Moradi (mulimedia design dissertation - 2004), I was intrigued by the definiton of glitch in that work. The author starts by describing how the dictionary definition of the word “glitch” would be too narrow, especially because it does not consider "the different works and practices prevalent in the production and presentation of glitch artwork".

(Picture is glitch in Second Life found here).

So, the definition can be defined by these excerpts, showing two dimensions:

"The pure glitch is the result of a Malfunction or Error. (...)So in a sense the glitch has always been associated with the definition of a problem. It’s a word used to describe the result of a situation when something has gone wrong. (...) The Pure Glitch is therefore an unpremeditated digital artefact, which may or may not have its own aesthetic merits. (...) Glitch-alikes are a collection of digital artefacts that resemble visual aspects of real glitches found in their original habitat. (...) Pure Glitch ----------- Glitch-alike Accidental ----------- Deliberate Coincidental ----------- Planned Appropriated ----------- Created Found ----------- Designed Real ----------- Artificial"

Why do I blog this? pure curiosity towards failures, malfunction and their possible aesthetic. The part about the techniques to create glitch is insightful as well (replication-repetition, linearity, fragmentation, complexity). The glitchbrowser is a good example for that matter.