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.