1.2.7 “At the beginning of this lesson I pointed to the idea that technological advances in communication tools have been part of the impetus to rethink the divisive and hierarchical categorizing of literature and orality, and suggested that this is happening for a number of reasons. I’d like you to consider two aspects of digital literature: 1) social media tools that enable widespread publication, without publishers, and 2) Hypertext, which is the name for the text that lies beyond the text you are reading, until you click. How do you think these capabilities might be impacting literature and story?”
I remember perusing encyclopedias and textbooks while doing research in my former years of education, but this has been happening less and less with the rise of reputable sources on the Internet. Digital literature has vastly changed the way I approach the consumption and creation of content, and I don’t think the impact and influence of the Web as a platform is considered enough.
History suggests that literacy was developed from orality and is therefore a superior mode of communication (Carlson 45). The written word enabled oral histories to be passed down and examined without a narrator. The written form exudes a sense of permanence that was not present with oral storytelling. Advances in technology enable the recording of oral storytelling methods, thus subverting the notion that written records are superior for their permanence. The Web is a space that both supports and inverts the notion of permanence. It is often said that once something exists on the Internet, it is really difficult to get it back. Because content is can be spread on such a large scale, often content or information cannot be taken back. However, content can often be edited and added to by different people outside of the creator’s intentions. In this sense, the content is subject to change, and possesses a fluid nature.
“[T]he computer does not initiate the dominance of one media form over another, but rather encourages their fusion within the pluralistic realm of the “global village.” -Courtney MacNeil
The Web exists as a platform that offers media more complex than the traditional dichotomy of the written and verbal word, transcending implied hierarchies to create a space where different media can co-exist. The seemingly unlimited space on the Web allow these forms to work with one another without being a threat to other’s existence. The Internet is a space of collaboration and community more akin to communal storytelling that the interaction of an individual with a piece of text. Many content creators encourage dialogue with their audience with the intention of building and maintaining a community.
Traditional publication relied on aspects such as writing ability, reputation, and industry connections. The ability to publish on the web has made public the writing of people who have not traditionally had access to these resources. The voices of the disadvantaged or minority groups can be accessed alongside those who have traditionally dominated the public domain. The freedom of publication transcends the hierarchy between people of different nationalities, affluence, age groups, and origins.
Orality has a connection to cultural knowledge and a collective memory that is similar to the way that hyperlinking connects texts to create communal knowledge. Hyperlinking gives the reader the freedom to explore related topics to encourage a broader reading, or providing additional information for more in-depth understanding. Electronic structures much less rigid in organization, and allow for multiple forms of organization depending on preference. Digital literature diminishes the sense of closure that arose from the invention of print (Bolter 79).
Additionally, the ability for the public to comment on articles in certain domains allows for a level of interactivity that was unavailable to traditional text-based literature. This allows for the writer to be challenged by the public, something more common in oral storytelling than in the written word. The increased interactivity of the online format encourages encourages reflection and discussion that might not be offered in traditional fields of study. It provides a safe place for marginalized voices to come forward and share their experiences. Further, the reader has more responsibility than ever to seek out these narratives because they are so readily available.
Works Cited:
Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext and the History of Writing. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1991.
Carlson, Keith Thor. “Orality about Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History.” Orality and Literacy: Reflections Across Disciplines. University of Toronto Press, 2011. 43-69. JSTOR. Web.
Datafloq. “Internet of Things.” Graphic. Web.
MacNeil, Courtney. “orality.” The Chicago School of Media Theory: University of Chicago, Winter 2007. Web. https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/orality/
“Reconciliation. . . towards a new relationship.” Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Web.
Zipes, Jack. “The Cultural Evolution of Storytelling and Fairy Tales: Human Communication and Memetics.” The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre. Princeton University Press, 2012. JSTOR. Web. press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9676.pdf