Describing Communication Technologies: Word Processors
Word processing is a term and concept that has been around for over a half-century, though some debate remains over the first true example of this technology. What is generally agreed upon, however, is that word processing refers to the ability of a user to leverage technology to write, edit, store and format digitally written text. Heilmann (2023), describes this shift in user experience by writing that, “merging the typewriter with the printing shop, word processors have fundamentally changed the process of writing and publishing and have blended the role of the author with those of the typesetter and the graphic designer” (p. 4).
Some believe that the world’s first example of a word processor was introduced in 1964 by IMB’s “MT/ST”, which was an innovation of the typewriter that allowed a user to store and edit previously typed text on a type of magnetic tape (Kunde, 1986). Others believe that the first true word processor, which represented the first word processing software, was “The Electric Pencil” which was unveiled as a program for microcomputers in 1976 (Bergin, 2006). “The Electric Pencil” was a turning point for the concept of word processing, as it shifted the notion from hardware to software and served as the inspiration for subsequent word processing software like WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Macwrite and Google Docs (Haigh, 2006). It is important to note that this shift to software was only made possible by a series of crucial developments in computer hardware technologies, such as the screen.
From the 1970s, word processors steadily gained popularity until the market was saturated with various software. By the mid-1980s, as Kruse & Rapp (2023) describe, “a new era of literacy had begun and started to shape writing, thinking, design, and communication in its own way” (p.15). This new era, as Kruse & Rapp (2023) describe, was far from the first time that technology had impacted or had been touted as impacting reading and writing. Throughout modern history, technology has impacted our collective concept of the term literacy in different ways. The printing press and movable type helped bring literacy to the masses and shifted the notion of who could read and write and for what purposes. It is important to note, however, that this technology did not simply result in mass literacy instantaneously. In truth, this transition took quite some time and was interconnected with other factors. Murray (2000) writes, “new technologies like the printing press merely facilitated changes already beginning to take place” (p. 39). This highlights the idea that technology does not impact literacy independently, but is rather one factor in its development, along with social, economic, religious, educational and political changes, to name a few.
And so, to truly understand the impact that word processors have had on literacy and education, one needs also to be aware of the other changes taking place in the last fifty years or so alongside the development of these technologies. Among these factors, it was the developments of the internet, the World Wide Web and increasing globalization that contributed to the impact of and need for word processors. Kruse & Rapp (2023) write, “texts are interconnected in new ways by hyperlinks and web-based publications. Even though intertextuality has always been a principle of academic texts, hyperlinks have simplified these connections and offered new opportunities for intertextuality” (p. 19). As Kruse & Rapp mention, through the convergence of the internet and word processors, texts became interconnected in new ways. At the same time, changes in business structures and developments in economic and political relationships increased the interconnectedness of people. In some cases, people across large distances were now directly reliant on one another in their professional contexts. These distances could represent, for example, offices for the same company in different cities or trade partners in other countries. Frieden (2018) describes the 1990s as “the height of a certain ‘globalization euphoria.’ Dozens of developing and former Communist countries had joined the world economy, many of them were democratizing” (p. 5). As a result, or possibly as a part of these shifts in the global landscape, digitization of the workplace and of the field of education was now taking place. “This electronic revolution in the office may change who does what sort of work, create some jobs and eliminate others” (Bergmann, 1982). As a result of this “revolution”, much of the workforce was now required to have computer skills, including word processing fluency. This, as always, trickled down to the need to teach these skills in formal schooling.
Word processors, starting in the 1970s and continuing to today, have impacted literacy and education greatly. What remains debated is whether these changes were profound and transformative, or simply augmented and enhanced existing literacy skills and practices. What is immediately clear is that the physical act of writing was reimagined with the rise of word processors (Schwartz, 2004). Building upon the keyboarding skills present in the typewriter, word processors no longer required users to manipulate physical paper or ink. Instead, users were able to draft, store, edit and publish texts directly from their computers. Beyond that, users could now save their texts on storage devices like floppy discs, USBs and hard drives, print them on demand, attach them to email and publish them online. While this presented a shift in how the texts were physically written, stored and shared, many argued that it did not fundamentally change literacy or the act of writing. Such arguments suggest ideas like those presented by Bolter (2001). According to the author, “most writers have enthusiastically accepted the word processor precisely because it does not challenge their conventional notion of writing. The word processor is an aid for making perfect printed copy: the goal is still ink on paper” (p. 9). Beyond these arguments, others feel as though word processors did represent a shift in literacy and how we read and write as well as what it means to be literate. It must also be acknowledged that, like all innovations in the past, access is a major factor contributing to the impact of a particular technology. Word processors are no exception, even today, as, according to UNESCO (2023), “schools with computers for pedagogical purposes was 47% in primary, 62% in lower secondary and 76% in upper secondary education”. Therefore, when speaking broadly about technology’s impact on the world, this must be done cautiously and by acknowledging that caveat.
What speaks volumes about the impact of word processors is their widespread adoption and growth of use over the past several decades. Heim (1999), in discussing the impact of word processors on literacy writes, “the text processor is transforming the way philosophy, poetry, literature, social science, history, and the classics are done as much as computerized calculation has transformed the physical sciences based on mathematics” (p. 1). This idea suggests that word processors were and continue to be transformative and could impact literacy in profound ways. Through the interpretation of Heim’s (1999) words, it seems to suggest that word processors could provide individuals with the ability to go further than ever before with the construction of their texts. Schwartz (2004) in her meta-analysis concerning the impact of word processing on writing ability, suggests that many contradictions exist in the research making it difficult to clearly and confidently determine the impact of the technology on writing skills one way or another. That being said, Schwartz (2004) does point to several studies that suggest that word processors have the potential to impact the quality of student writing, the quantity of student writing, attitude toward writing, editing of writing, feedback on writing and publishing of writing.
While debate will continue over the nature of the impact word processing has and continues to have on literacy, the technology has continued to evolve. In 2006, Google released Google Docs, which further innovated word processing. According to Patronum (2023), “there are over 3 billion active users of Google Workspace per month. This number includes both personal and business users, and it is constantly growing”. Google Docs, and subsequent processors like the updated MS Word, have now transformed word processing to include the concept of cloud storage and web-based collaboration, among other features. These new affordances in current iterations of word processors coincide with an increased focus on collaboration in the workplace and the classroom. As alluded to before, technological and societal changes work hand in hand. Zhao (2017) writes, “human society is entering a new age marked by swift technological change […] we need to invent a new education paradigm that can cultivate uniquely creative and collaborative individuals to meet these challenges and take advantage of the new opportunities”. This idea encapsulates much of the educational push that has introduced concepts like 21st century skills, with a focus on collaboration, in the classroom over the past couple of decades. Current iterations of word processors have addressed this societal shift and have allowed for the writing process to become a much more collaborative venture. Whether the technology has driven change or change has driven the technology, it is clear that word processors have shifted what is now possible in writing.
References:
Barbara R. Bergmann (1982, May 30). A Threat Ahead From Word Processor. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/30/business/economic-affairs-a-threat-ahead-from-word-processors.html
Bergin, T. (2006). The origins of word processing software for personal computers: 1976-1985. IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 28(4), 32-47. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAHC.2006.76
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers. https://case.edu/affil/sce/authorship/bolter.pdf
Frieden, J. (2019). The backlash against globalization and the future of the international economic order. In P. Diamond (Ed.), The Crisis of Globalization: Democracy, Capitalism, and Inequlaity in the Twenty-First Century (pp. 43-52).
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