Speech Vs Writing

In this new millennia new technologies are emerging everyday. With these new technologies come new forms of literacy both speaking and writing. Both forms are constantly changing and evolving however I believe that because there are so many different ways in which to write, that it is the superior form of communication.

I do not believe that speech is not evolving. Everyday new words are added to our vocabulary. However with written technologies it gives us a way to store our words and our histories. Writing technologies also allow us to review, correct and analyze that which we are trying to communicate. There are endless ways to communicate in written form. With the creation of a written alphabet humanity was able to start keeping a record of their history. Without a written record of history humanity may have been doomed to repeat past misstates and that is one reason why I believe writing is the superior form of communication.

The most memorable form of written technology may be the Gutenberg printing press invented in the 1400s. This technology not only allowed to us to keep histories more easily but to make it more easily accessible. Howard Gardner made this point as well in his article. “The 15th-century printing press disturbed those who wanted to protect and interpret the word of God, but the availability of Bibles in the vernacular allowed laypeople to take control of their spiritual lives and, if historians are correct, encouraged entrepreneurship in commerce and innovation in science.” “The invention of the printing press and the emergence of readily available books, magazines and newspapers allowed untold millions to extend their circle, expand their minds and expound their pet ideas.” (Gardner) As Walter Ong stated in his article Orality, Literacy, and the Modern Media “How could you ever call back to mind what you had so laboriously worked out? The only answer is: Think memorable thoughts. In a primarily oral culture…..you have to do your thinking in mnemonic patters, shaped for ready oral recurrence.” Therefore without a written language we would not be able to strategically and analytically solve problems and keep histories. It would be left up to only our fallible human memories.

By making the list in class on Tuesday I was able to see that everyday I use numerous forms of writing. I use my reading/writing skills at work to search databases for books, text using my phone, write emails, makes many different types of lists, blog (outside of this one), check facebook, read for pleasure and do many other visual tasks related to reading and writing.

Writer Susan Jacoby argues that literacy is on a downward slope. “First and foremost among the vectors of the new anti-intellectualism is video. The decline of book, newspaper and magazine reading is by now an old story. The drop-off is most pronounced among the young, but it continues to accelerate and afflict Americans of all ages and education levels.” While it is true that much of the youth today do not read an actual newspaper. They do access numerous newspapers online while perhaps cross-referencing the subject through google. Although we may not subscribe to a hard version of a newspaper, we are still aware of what is going on around us. I believe that Jacoby is stuck in a past era in time. Today we are accessing the written word in new and innovative ways. We are able to purchase E-books online without ever having to leave the comfort of our living rooms; we can read news articles from other countries online as soon as they are publish. It is unfortunate that Jacoby is to snobbish to see past what she is most familiar with to new ways of thinking.

Unfortunately I think that because we have come to be dominated by our forms of written communication, we are become less social and more isolated from each other. We use text messages instead of talking over the phone; we send emails and spend more time on the Internet and not with the people around us. Our technologies have begun to isolate us. I believe that if we are to continue as a people we need to find a healthy balance between our speech and our written communications.