Paper 3: The State of Writing

PAPER 3: THE STATE OF WRITING

What is happening to writing?  In the past decade, huge strides in digital technologies have been made and it seems that with a snap of one’s fingers we have began to live in the “electronic age.”  iPods, Kindles, laptops, blogs, cell phones, Blackberries: all are commonplace now but were either very rare or non-existent a mere twenty years ago.  Our culture and technologies are evolving fast, and so is writing.  With technologies constantly developing, it seems as though writing has become easier, faster, and even more “fun.”  Sharing, commenting, editing, and posting one’s work online on a Blog or a website is a cinch nowadays.  But with progress and development comes some setbacks.  Battery power doesn’t last forever, and a pen and paper won’t cost you the arm and a leg a laptop will.  This electronic age is a time of rapid progression and change, and it is certainly is an exciting period to live in.

While writing in a digital space, whether it is in Microsoft Word or Blogger, an author has the power to alter any part of his or her document very easily.  This malleability is not found in the printed book, which is a purely “permanent” way of presenting information.  This may or may not be an advantage for digital texts.  Even though it is a nice thought to be able to “touch up” one’s work, the print medium is so “solid” and authoritative that in turn it can come off as the more “prestigious” of the two formats.  Although we might see a day where digital texts become more regulated and scrutinized by scholars and editors, as of now print seems to dominate in prestige. 

Although the differences are spouted off again and again, the similarities between digital text and printed text are still closely related.   Words are still read in a  “left to right, down a row” pattern, our standard alphabetic symbols still apply, and it’s still regularly seen that black text is superimposed over a white background.  These “standard” rules and more are still applicable for digital texts; only the way in which we create and comprehend them are different (we create digital works in “cyberspace,” on a computer, laptop, or other electronic device whereas we create printed works using a printing press; we comprehend a printed work on a page-by-page basis whereas digital texts are theoretically infinite and not physical).  The methods may be different, but digital texts and print still follow similar guidelines.

            

          One aspect about the changing landscape of writing that is nearly unavoidable now in this age of “cyberspace” is the use of visuals.  With the click of a button, a video, picture, or music file can quickly and painlessly be placed in a Blog or Powerpoint Presentation.  Writing no longer has to stand as big, blocky paragraphs – now words can be formed in virtually any way possible, with colors, size, font style, and spacing able to be customized in any way imaginable.  The level of customization allowed in digital media far outweighs that in printed texts.  In print, elaborate pictures, designs, and fonts all create unnecessary expenditures whereas in digital presentations, where all the tools needed are in the computer, a bare bones black text on white paper look is as cost-effective as a colorful tapestry of sights and sounds.

            

         The idea of visuals as the primary mode of communication is not new, however.  Early Greek scripture often included simple pictures and designs to tell their romantic stories, ancient Egyptians would use hieroglyphics, a symbolic language that used simple pictures as its code, and tapestries, like the Bayeux from Medieval times, told stories of great battles.  In a way, this digital age is combining the “best” of what every age has had to offer. The seemingly endless “flow” of the Bayeux tapestry is now possible to replicate (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDaB-NNyM8o&feature=youtu.be), where in the printed book this would be impossible due to its limitation to a standardized page structure.  Web pages are also starting to resemble newspaper articles: “In graphic form and function, the newspaper is coming to resemble a computer screen, as the combination of text, images, and icons turns the newspaper page into a static snapshot of the World Wide Web page.” (Bolter, 51)

            

           The segue from print to electronic media is not as abrupt and rash as one may think.  The use of the electronic book (or e-book) accounts for this.  Taking the features of a printed work to the “next level,” the Kindle or the Nook accounts for both the shift toward digital technologies while embracing the preceding mediums.  The words and the comprehension of each medium remain the same, and some e-books even make the effort to replicate the texture and look of the printed book using inks natural to that of the printed format.

            

          What was before finite in the past now seems to be infinite in this electronic future.  With online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, the hypertextual expansion of information sharing seems endless.  “As we refashion the book through digital technology, we are diminishing the sense of closure that belonged to the codex and to print.” (Bolter, 79)  Anyone with information can upload it to the Internet for users to see. With everyone pitching in, almost everything imaginable can be found if searched for.  Of course, “everything” should not be taken literally; as with all changes in format, certain publications and printed works will be lost in the translation (just as many oral traditions were lost on codex, and codex pieces lost on print), but that is naturally going to happen.  It can be disheartening to a “purist” to see print start to go by the wayside, but in the grand scheme of things, the digital format will provide the most possible storage of information that has ever been produced before.

            

          With the advent of digital technologies and hypertext, the reader’s path has changed.  “To read is to follow one path from among those suggested by the layout of the text…the codex and the printed book both allow the writer to suggest many paths through the same book.” (Bolter, 100)  Jay David Bolter states that the codex and printed works offer many paths; taking a look at the popular line of “choose your own adventure” books throughout the years, one can see how the reader can pick his or her path.  Digital technologies are even less linear than before.  With hypertext, clicking link after link readers can chose their own path.  Since there are so many options and so much information on the Internet, one can find his or herself lost in a sea of text that may or may not be relevant to the initial topic.

            

          The remediation of print media also gives the readers a new chance to read books and other publications without the cost or the loss of quality of the original, printed form.  “…digital media might refashion the book in a way that enhances the possibilities of multiple presentation without eliminating the book’s cultural significance.” (110) The New York Times will still be “The New York Times” whether you read it on an electronic book or if you buy it at a newsstand; Romeo and Juliet will still be the same Shakespearian work you read in Middle School if you read it on the computer.  As previously stated: it’s not the message that’s changing, it’s the medium.

            

          So what does this all mean for writing?  Are we slowly turning into a purely visual society?  Or will text and visuals forever coexist as they do today?  Only time will tell, but I think the latter is more realistic.  Although Bolter’s text seems to arise with a tone of concern, the ten-year-old piece was written when blogging and electronic communication was just beginning to blossom.  I think the technologies of today show a positive progress being made, with devices being used to integrate and adapt what has worked in the past (like the Kindle using an ink based inferface) and add features to enhance our experience in ways not possible before (heavy personalization, hyperlinking, etc).  With all change, it can be scary sometimes, but the digital way of thinking seems like the logical next step forward in reading and writing.

Works Cited:

Bolter, Jay D. Writing Space. 2nd ed. Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge, 2001. Print.

            

Chapter 6 PREZI - Refashioned Dialogues

http://prezi.com/an_qfpsnoaey/refashioned-dialogues/

Chapter 5 PREZI - The Electronic Book

Observe:

            The third group’s presentation on chapter 5 deals with the “electronic book.”  The Prezi goes over how the idea that the book as we know it is changing, just as it did from papyrus scrolls to printed books.  In the electronic era, seemingly finite sources such as encyclopedias are nearly becoming limitless in their capacity for information.  Also covered is the use of digital libraries.  Whereas in the past, libraries of information and books were sorted and collected in definable ways, now users of digital devices can sort and arrange files and texts to their own liking.  This Prezi used the same luscious dark blue and white color palette as my own group used; great minds must think alike.  Like all the other Prezis, the main points were taken out of the chapter and arranged in an easy-to-follow order.  Text was interspersed with visuals, helping the overall flow of the project.

Infer:

            I think the main point of the presentation suggests that printed books may soon become secondary to that of electronic book.  The convenient, user-friendly, customizable nature of a Kindle or Nook is certainly suggesting that a change is brewing.  As more and more people start to buy, try, and use these digital devices, it’s inevitable it will become the standard format and hence wipe out its predecessor.

Question:

1.     Is there room for both print and electronic books in the future?

2.     What does this change in mediums suggest about our culture?

3.     Is the advent of electronic books better or worse for the state of our literacy?

4.     Does the hypertextual nature of these new devices hinder the regulations set forth by print?

5.     Is there a downside to having a nearly unlimited space for information?

6.     Is an online encyclopedia any less credible than a print encyclopedia?

Chapter 4 PREZI - The Breakout of the Visual

Oberseve:

            The second group’s Prezi, a summary of Chapter 4 in the Bolter text, goes over the relation of visuals with text.  In both the “new” digital format and the dating-back-to-the-15^th-century “old school” style of print, visuals play a prominent role.  Group 2 used the example of a newspaper in correlation to a website; both heavily rely on imagery to convey their stories.  The Prezi also goes over symbols and how they function; pictures and imagery are said to be primary whereas words and text are secondary (in a process called ‘ekphrasis’).  Examples shown include the desktop icons on a Mac and hieroglyphs in an Egyptian tomb.  This Prezi had an attractive soft blue and white background that kinetically moved about the screen from text to pictures.  The font was changed up with each new “movement” which helped to visually stimulate the viewers.  Like chapter 3, this group wisely kept it brief to not bog down the audience in useless details.

Infer:

            The main point of this Prezi is that visuals are our main use of communication, secondary to that of even printed text, which seems to be cause of why the digital medium will most likely replace print as the new “standard.” Although as scholars, we rely heavily on the printed text, visual communication is our most primal communicative property, which makes this digital age of the Internet, Blogs, and personalized web pages seem like the natural “next step.”

Question:

1.     With the new digital age, where visuals are more prominent, will society’s collective intelligence wane or will we simply become smarter in different areas than before?

2.     Is this “new age” a step backward in terms of communication?

3.     Will we ever see a purely visual mode of communication (completely without text?)

4.     What about this digital age is more appealing than the print age?

5.     What about it is less appealing?

6.     Will the unity of text and the visual continue to coexist?

Chapter 3 PREZI - Hypertext and the Remediation of Print

Observe:

This chapter, as indicated in the first group’s Prezi, is about hypertext and the remediation of print.  It talked about how hypertext not only includes its visual surface, but also a data structure in a computer.  It went on to speak of how nothing is permanent in a Word Document; everything is malleable and can be changed or altered at the command of the author.  Print is shown to be a linear form, whereas hypertext is associative.  Digital texts remediate print because much of the same “rules” apply, but the way in which our creation or comprehension of materials has altered.  The strength of the informational aspect of the Prezi was that it was not overly wordy and the main points of the chapter were gone over. It followed a clear order from the chapter and didn’t stray with unnecessary details. That being said, I did wish the Prezi told the facts in a more interesting way; the information was solid but I might as well have been reading straight from the book.

Infer:           

The Prezi was mostly black text set against a white background.  Between each article of information, the title was reprised for extra emphasis.  I think the weakness of this Prezi was its lack of color and multimedia.  The Prezi format allows for some interesting features during presentations and it was unfortunate those were not taken advantage of.  I also noticed some glaring grammar problems that made it clear this project was not reviewed thoroughly.  On the other hand, I did appreciate its simplicity.  Sometimes Powerpoint-esque presentations can get bogged down with long, blocky paragraphs but it was kept nice and to-the-point in its design.

Question:

1.     Do you think with the advent of hypertext that scholarly work will become less focused?

2.     As the format of hypertext rises in popularity, do you think we are losing anything in the process?

3.     What about hypertext is so appealing that it seems as though print is becoming thing of the past?

4.     Is the fact that hypertext is easier to change than print good or bad? 

5.     How will past generations, who grew up with print, now adapt to a mostly hypertextual world?

6.     How is hypertext still “trapped” by its preceding format?

Writing in the Dark

IN THE DARK #5

QUESTION:  Think of a time when language (written or spoken) got you something you really, really wanted.  How did you accomplish this task?  What did you learn?

I’m writing this paper “in the dar,k” so bear with me for any grammatical errors. 

One of the most difficult experiences of my life came during senior year in high school.  I was enrolled in a TV Productions course where our year-long goal was to create videos (comedy, school-relatd, etc.) for the “video yearbook.”  I was a dedicated student, taking on internships, joining clubs, and putting lots of effort into everything I did.  Unfortunately, our teacher was downright awful, and for some reason he held a vendetta against me (everyone in the class knew it too).  InDespite my hard work producing a total of six comedy videos, not one of them made it into the video yearbook.  I was not happy, and neither were many others whose hard work was for nothing.  He played many “favorites” in the class which made it impossible for many to our work into the final product (the video yekbook was shown to all the graduating seniors on “senior safe night”).  Me and my close friend Josh had made what we thought were videos worthy of putting in there, so he and I organized a “midnight movie madness,” a video featuring all the “rejected” video yearbook segments to show at midnight on “senior safe night.” 

I had to be as suave as I could to get people to let me do this (you’d think more staff members would WANT to showcase student talents…)  I also shot little interviews with the “rejects” to introduce their videos.  First I had to go up to the TV teacher, caught off guard about the idea, he had no other choice but to say it was “okay”.)  Then I had to go to the dean to see if we could hang up posters for the event.  Because there is such strict policy in schools nowadays, we could not hang up posters until we had a finished movie and our teacher approved it (which basically meant no posters).  Then we had to go to the principal and ask him for permission (after of course we set up an appointment, etc).  He was cautious about the thing, but he gave it an ok. At the end of the day, using very diplomatic language, and non-aggressive tactics, I managed to pull this thing off and I had a good turnout, I think.  Everybody was laughing inside the auditorium and best of all, we got reactions like “how did this not make it in?”  Comments like that affirmed for me that I had not wasted all the hard work I put into that class.