Chamberlin touches on the idea of the distinction between “literate” and oral cultures near the beginning of the book and then throws it out the window: “All so-called oral cultures are rich in forms of writing, albeit non-syllabic and non-alphabetic ones” (19-20, link my own).
“Skyscraper Quipu”
However, I would argue that this is the not same distinction that we see caused by technological advances.
With the rise of social media, we see a shift from the written word to a “visual culture” which includes writing but has a host of other ways to communicate thought. The “visual culture”’ also includes pictures, memes, emojis, and videos. Particularly interesting to me are the videos, which contain many elements of oral storytelling (audio, movement, occasionally able to see the storyteller), but also have elements of the written word (subtitles, the audience’s inability to communicate with the storyteller, an unchanging telling). Social media has also allowed the publication of new stories, or in some cases old stories, without having to go through a traditional gatekeeper. The removal of the gatekeepers (publishing houses, media outlets) has allowed marginalized communities a platform on which they can showcase their stories and their struggles. However, this does not always increase our exposure to new ideas. Instead, social media algorithms reinforce the opinions we already hold.
Some of the limitations of the written word can be overcome through the use of hypertexts. Hypertexts allow more interaction between the writer and the audience, in some ways similar to that found in storytelling. A writer can clarify what they are talking about with a link, without having to break the flow of what they are saying. This is similar to being able to ask questions when hearing a story: you can click on the link (ask a question) if you want more info, but if you understand or are already familiar with what is being discussed, there is no need to break the story. Hypertext also ties stories together, physically creating links between different stories and different ideas.
Of course, hypertext does not replace the give and take found in oral storytelling. The closest thing to the give and take found in oral storytelling is the ability to comment on items in social media. The audience can express an opinion, and the storyteller can have a conversation about their story. It’s certainly not the same, but it’s fascinating to see how we are slowly circling back to our oral roots.
Works Cited
Chamberlin, J. Edward. If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories? Vintage Canada, 2003.
“How Filter Bubbles Distort Reality: Everything You Need to Know.” Farnam Street. fs.blog/2017/07/filter-bubbles/. Accessed 20 Jan.2019.
Lo, Lawrence. “Quipu.” Ancient Scripts. www.ancientscripts.com/quipu.html. Accessed 20 Jan. 2019.
Vicuña, Cecilia. Skyscraper Quipu. 2006. Brooklynn Museum, Brooklynn, New York. Brooklynn Museum, www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/cecilia_vicuna. Access 20 Jan. 2019. (Photograph by Matthew Herrmann).
Hi Cianne,
I enjoyed reading your post and I agree with the idea that we are transitioning to a “visual culture” especially with the rise of social media and the internet as a whole. Digital literature has helped literature and orality reach new levels globally. When you use the internet as a tool, you can create new meaning and help in areas like a translation of a certain text. Digital literature is in a sense, helping the globalization of literature. Things like eBooks, videos, podcasts help cater to a market that likes to learn from either a visual or audio element. Literature is transforming before our eyes and ears and in doing so is changing the ways in which we share our stories and who share stories. In a digital age, the boundaries are lifted and now almost anyone can have their story heard.
Cheers,
Kynan
Hi Kynan,
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad that you enjoyed reading my post about literature and digital culture.
– Cianne
Hi Cianne,
Reading your post gave me new insight into literature culture and technology. You said how videos are specifically interesting to you and what came to my mind was instagram stories. I don’t make them, but I do watch them, and now I’m seeing them with new eyes: they are quick videos that can either stand alone or be part of a longer story; people can write words on them to enhance the story; they can insert hyperlinks or directions to “swipe up” to find out more; and people can re-gram it in their own stories. How do you feel about the fact that these are “temporary stories” because they disappear after 24 hours, and how that contributes to the “visual culture”?
Hi Andrea,
That’s a great question! I think that media such as Instagram Stories incorporates even more of oral culture into digital literature. When you tell someone a story in person there’s (generally) no recording of it – it’s gone as soon as it’s said. Instagram Stories a bridge between that and what we can consider more permanent media, like a blog post that stays accessible for years. Instagram stories are partially asynchronous – they don’t have to be watched at the exact same time that they happen, but do have to be watched within 24 hours. They also have elements of recordlessness (there’s not a permanent record of them easily available) and evanescence (it disappears once it’s said), which are both elements that until recently were only available in face-to-face conversation. I think it’s a fantastic example of the convergence of oral and written literature in digital contexts!
– Cianne
Hey Cianne,
Thanks for reading my blog post and thanks for recommending me your own. The thought of how our media shapes out storytelling is a very interesting one, as you pointed out by calling ours a “visual culture”. I think it is a cool convergence of technology that allows us to enjoy storytelling in multiple mediums at once, seamlessly transitioning from audio, video, written words, to a combination of all of them.
I’m also very much intrigued by the idea of “gatekeepers” as you talked about. An interesting aspect of gatekeeping is within the publishing for children/YA category. There, you have not only the publishers, etc, but you also have to sell it to the parents of the children as well, but I think these walls are starting to crumble a bit. With the existence of the internet and social media, children have more knowledge at their disposal than ever before. Things that you might not have known about as a kid for a long time in the past due to parental censorship, kids are learning through the internet. This is leading to widespread awareness of many minor communities/ideas that people would have never had access to. This, however, I’m not sure is something that will go on forever. Right now we exist at the edge of a generational divide where our parents knew less about the internet than their kids, this is already no longer a case for babies being born under Millenials. This means it could lead to more “gatekeeping” of information our children receive through the internet. It makes me wonder if we lived during the wild west of the internet, and in the near future if it will be strictly controlled like television/radio is now. Hopefully not.
Hi Tony,
I’m so glad that you came and checked out my blog post! I agree that the internet and access to information is changing. I believe that we very much grew up in the “Wild West” of the internet, and that we’ll continue to see it grow and change and likely continue to become more regulated. However, I think that even with additional regulation, the increased access to information will continue to connect people with communities and ideas that in previous generations they would not have been exposed to. I’m definitely looking forward to watching the changes and growth over the years!
– Cianne
Hi Cianne,
I love how you connected Chamberlin’s concepts of literacy and orality with the social media and the hypertext as their modern counterparts. By reading your blog, I actually came to realize that hypertext can be see as a modern day hybrid form between the oral and written way of expression, with adding all the audio and video options in the mix. In a very innovative way you refer to printing and publishing industry as to “gatekeepers” that prevented broader dissemination of written communication, and it is for the first time I actually see it in this way – it is actually so true. Especially insightful for me is your view of social media algorithms, the filter bubbles that threaten to limit us in the vast online world and social media that we thought we govern, while in reality, they seem to govern us, and our thoughts, modifying our way of thinking at a subconscious level, under pretense of a benefit.
You are apparently very well informed about this topic so I would like to know your opinion about the future of book in its printed form – do you think it is sustainable? Is it going to disappear, as the very first online book aficionados had originally thought?
Hi Vladana,
I’m so glad that you liked my post and that it brought some new ideas to light for you! I’ve been working in this sphere for a while, and so was able to tie in some content from other courses and readings I’ve done.
As for the future of printed books – I don’t think they’re going anywhere, at least not until paper products are entirely eliminated from everyday life (which I don’t know if that will ever happen, and probably not within our lifetime).
In some ways, paper books are a more advanced form of technology than their digital counterparts, such as the ease of looking at two different pages spaced apart with relative ease (think of when you flip to a different page in a book, but use your finger to mark your current place). Digital books are still working out the best ways to incorporate elements of a paper book’s ‘codex’ form. Digital books try to replicate it with bookmarks and a sliding bar to move around the book, but some functionality has been lost with the move to digital.
That being said, you also have benefits of digital books that make them more useful for certain settings – you can highlight and add notes unlimited to the margins, and many devices have a built-in dictionary which is great for challenging texts.
All in all, I think paper books are save for the foreseeable future!
– Cianne