Megan Andrews
Composition 001
Doctor Lay
21 October 2011
What is happening to writing?
As society moves through the late age of print, the name given by Jay David Bolter to the current state of writing, the threat of technology on the writing process becomes more evident. “The shift to the computer…threatens the definitions of good writing,” Bolter boldly states as he begins to write his winded opinions about the impact of technology on writing (Bolter 4). The writing process must constantly be challenged, along with technology itself. The advancement of writing continues to challenge the modern definition of technology, while making writing more prominent in society and more widely utilized.
The infinite changes to writing began before any document was ever officially scribed. Before any writing form becomes popular, people are criticized for their ‘absurd’ ideas. Think of the first man to suggest using blood to write in a cave, or the first man to suggest standardizing an alphabet. At the time, society likely harassed these brave men. It takes time to adapt to change, although many would argue the great benefits change has on society. Countless forms of writing were used before the mere invention of paper. After paper, the typewriter is the next prominent advancement in writing. These inventions make history today, being credited as some of the best inventions of all time. Yet, centuries ago, challenging the practicality of a rock as a writing surface was viewed as irrational.
Looking to more current times, the computer shows a similar type of progress. When the computer was first invented, society was stunned. Thirty years ago, no average citizen would have listed the current capabilities of a computer. They were unthinkable. The average citizen questioned computers--their accuracy, speed, reliability, capabilities. Without skeptics, what incentive would exist for improvement? Society is right in challenging advancements, challenging technology. Writing itself challenges the definition of technology. As Bolter notes, technology is more than just a machine, it also includes skills (15). Using this definition of technology as a reference, the continuing advancement of the writing space, which currently includes word documents, blogs, e-mail, and countless other virtual places, constantly expands the writer’s skills.
A decade ago, a computer was still a luxury. Electronic writing was possible, but not necessary to succeed in school or even the workplace. Pen and paper represented writing to the average citizen, not a computer and a keyboard. Today, however, the perception of writing has evolved. When assigned an essay, people log into their account as opposed to opening their journal. In a decade, Microsoft Word replaced spiral bound paper as the primary aid for writing. Advancing the way in which a formal paper is written is just the beginning of the impact computers have made on the writing space.
Social media, over the last few years, created a brand new place for people to express their thoughts and feelings through written word. With the creation of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, people around the world can meet on one world wide web page and share what they wish about their lives. Each site listed differs in their own way, allowing electronic text to reach an even broader audience. Prior to the late age of print, textbooks and printed novels were the only forms of writing accessible to a majority of citizens. Some people kept personal journals, or came across poetry once in a while, but for the most part, textbooks were the only way information was spread throughout society.
The creation of social media opened the door to writing in an entirely new light. Twitter gives a user 140 characters to express whatever they wish, while Tumblr uniquely offers a blog accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. Tumblr expands the definition of writing, allowing for quotes, text, images, videos, or any combination of the above. Social media cites help “to regard the mind itself as a writing space” (13). A computer acts as a tool for expressing the thoughts and ideas that form in the mind on a surface that allows for sharing among other readers. The internet aids writing, it does not allow for technology to do the writing itself. Facebook offers another unique writing space, because it allows for both public and private communication with friends. People often critique the computer as technology that controls writing, yet no technology can function as a writing space without people to control them (17). Facebook allows for primarily social writing, but similar to the idea that the more you read, the better reader you become, the more you write, the better of a writer you become.
Arguably the strongest benefit of social media sites has little to do with what is actually written. Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, along with countless other social media forms, allows for more people to take part in writing. In the early age of print when paper was a modern creation, everyone wanted to get their hands on it and take part in the newest advancements. Although computers themselves are not the newest advancement in writing, the relative infancy of social media sites helps them to strengthen their popularity. The more people who take advantage of social media sites, the more prominent writing will become in society.
As more members of society begin to appreciate the wonders of writing, the more people there will be to critique its advancements. As Bolter wisely writes, “When one medium sets out to remediate another, it does so by claiming to do a better job” (26). The obvious truth in this statement allows for a deep analysis of the evolution of writing. When the computer was first invented, and the ingenious Bill Gates invented Microsoft, the writing space changed for what society currently views as ever. Yet, this new space for writing will eventually be overturned. Likely not in the next few decades, or maybe even centuries, but ultimately the computer is bound to be replaced. Again, look to ancient times. It may sound pointless to think about, but everything in society ultimately gets replaced. The invention of a computer proved that there is a better way to write papers, and the keyboard helped to replace many of the issues and criticisms of the typewriter. The computer challenged the typewriter, claiming to do a better job, by offering new advancements. The same can be seen when the typewriter was first invented. Although it lacked the flexibility the computer now offers, the typewriter helped to speed up the writing process and refashioned the writing space for a majority of writers.
This refashioning of the writing space may occur when a dominant technology is challenged (22). Although the definition of technology remains debatable, assuming that writing is a technology, when paper first challenged the very traditional form of writing on bricks and rocks, the writing space was refashioned. In more modern times, the electronic replacement of paper is evident.
It is clear writing continues to advance and reach a broader group of people, but debate continues about how beneficial electronic text is to society. Taking an optimistic approach, electronic writing allows for text to be flexible and easily accessible to the majority. Electronic writing can “continue indefinitely,” largely due to hypertext (27). The creation of the World Wide Web allows for countless links to be embedded into web pages, further not only the writers’ capabilities, but also the power of the information presented. Using Wikipedia as an example, hundreds of thousands of links are embedded to help give as little, or as much, detail as one may be searching for. For ironic purposes, if you search writing on Wikipedia, it displays one web page that includes an overview of writing, its history, and countless links to various sources as well as deeper definitions of terms used throughout the article. If reading the web site for a research paper, the World Wide Web offers hyperlinks so the reader can access as little or as much information as he or she may want. The internet not only allows American readers and writers to access, as well as change this information; it allows writers from around the world to access the online encyclopedia in their respective languages. This versatility proves that the writing process continues to evolve and offer more possibilities that did not exist just a few years ago.
As you can see, the advancement of writing is indefinite. Similar to any technology, as long as critics continue to voice their opinions, writing will never stop advancing. Regardless of a personal definition of technology, there is no debate about the improvements of the writing space over the last few decades. The invention of the computer and the keyboard allows for a faster, more complex writing space that is user friendly. The flexibility that word processers offer makes writing painless, as well as opens the doors to new styles of writing, as seen through social media sites. Writing continues to advance and reach a wider audience, allowing for more critiques of the writing space. Hundreds of years ago, before the typewriter or a computer, the writing space had a limited definition. Today, the opportunities are endless, and the writing space will continue to advance and evolve as long as humans are alive to write.
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