The Writing Space Evolution
The mechanization of writing has brought about education for the masses. Whether it be an increased desire to learn the basics of reading and writing, or to share stories, news, events, and information, the ability to mass produce text opened doors to many who would otherwise be left illiterate and ignorant of so much of the world around them. Ong (2002) describes these incredible impacts of print throughout history. Changes to ideals and family life, the development of new religions, world exploration, and new intellectual discoveries have all come forth due to print.
The development of print was due to the desire for a place to write. Bolter (2001) discusses the importance and impact of writing space. He tracks change from stone and papyrus, to the codex book and eventually mass produced printed paper. People have always wanted a place to record their thoughts, news, and events. With increased technology came increased interest.
When examining a 350 year span of advances to the printing press, Innis (2007) identifies that production jumped from 200 pages per hour to 768,000 pages per hour. This enabled news to be effectively shared between so many more people. In this way, not only could people be kept informed about events, but they could exercise their own right to freedom of speech and have their voices heard. The power of the press continued to grow.
Computers and the Internet have now opened new doors; connecting people across the globe without the limitations of the time it takes to print and deliver paper products. Bolter (2001) describes a new type of writing space; one not limited by the paper on which it is written. Is it not possible that a writing space can be limited only by the bounds of the imagination? The internet provides such a space.
Today, world breaking news is shared within moments of it happening, through text, images, and action video. While people are tweeting and texting to connect, they are also communicating more and more with video chat. More and more people are turning to eBooks rather than paper. Today, at least in first world countries, there are no reasons for people to remain ignorant. Text, information, and connectivity is at their fingertips. The writing space evolution continues. Will there be a shift back towards the oral culture of yesterday through the storage of video? Will the written word eventually be dismissed? It is interesting to think of what is still to come.
REFERENCES:
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. Routledge.
Innis, H. A. (2007). Empire and communications. Rowman & Littlefield.
Ong, W. J. (2013). Orality and literacy. Routledge.
Great observation Tina, technology has definitely impacted reading and writing and has afforded persons the opportunity to make informed decision.
It is interesting how the need to “know” and to get up-to-date news was the main push behind the development of the print. Today news stations get their info from regular people who happen to be in the event when it happened. We have smartphones that can record and stream right on the spot. People are becoming news stations if you want to think about it. They even have their own credibility exactly like news stations.
I agree! It is often my students who inform me of important events/reminders/news before the administration can actually find the time to sit at a desk and send an email.
This also makes me think back to the ‘lockdowns’ we’ve had over the last couple years – students were able to go on social media (via the phones that they weren’t supposed to be using at the time…) and give us an update about what was going on beyond the walls of our safe classroom. Quite honestly, even though lockdown procedures dictate that phones should not be used in case they jam phone lines (?), the students were able to set all of our minds at ease just by being connected to the world outside, instead of waiting for interior updates.
Tina, you make some really good points about how the “mechanism of writing has brought about education for the masses.” While it is a truly amazing accomplishment to be able to mass produce text and reach people who previously did not have access to information, I also think it can be a bit scary. There is so much information available, whether in print or online, that the quality of the information that is out there can be hard to judge for those who have not been taught to critically think or examine what they are reading (sometimes it can even be difficult to determine validity of printed material for those of use who have been taught to think critically!) As Ong states “there is no way directly to refute a text…this is one reason why ‘the book says’ is popularly tantamount to ‘it is true'” (p. 104) Many people take the printed word for truth simply because it is printed and therefore seen as permanent.
For example, the tourists in Malaysia who took off their clothes and took naked photos on top of a sacred mountain. The tourists were blamed for disrespecting the mountain gods and are believed to have triggered an earthquake. I think it is safe to say that here in the West, the majority of people who read this story did not believe that the earthquake was in fact caused by disrespected mountain spirits. Someone reading a Malaysian newspaper however may in fact actually believe that the cause of the earthquake was due to the tourist’s being disrespectful. Whether this belief is based on a low literacy rate, or religious/spiritual beliefs, or a combination of the two is difficult to say.
Innis (2007) makes a good point about how the printing press kept people informed and allowed them to express their own opinion and beliefs. On the other hand, people were probably not as free to express their thoughts as they are today. With the invention of the Internet, anyone can become an author and ideas can be shared no matter how radical or “out there” they may seem. Don’t get me wrong, I think education for the masses is fantastic, it is just those narrow minded people who are also able to share their beliefs with those who may not have the education or experience to think critically about what they are reading that worry me.
References:
Innis, H. A. (2007). Empire and communications. Toronto: Dundurn Press
Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. New York: Routledge.
Ah Kara;
The mind can play funny tricks on us. Superstitions abound in all cultures. We say we don’t believe but if given the choice we won’t pass under the ladder. And while print “allowed them to express their own opinion and beliefs” there was a time gap between the sender and the intended receiver that allowed us to rethink what we may have emotionally spouted off. They may not have that luxury now of recalling messages fast enough in today’s online systems.
“With the invention of the Internet, anyone can become an author and ideas can be shared no matter how radical or “out there” they may seem.” This is so disgustingly true. This was just in the news:
http://news.yahoo.com/ku-klux-klan-gets-green-light-pro-confederate-101117779.html
Will there ever be a time when inventions can only be used to do Good for our fellow mankind? Must we spend so much time and energy conniving evil deeds?
Terry
Thanks for your insightful blog posting Tina. I too appreciate that almost anyone can now publish a book, or other piece of writing for that matter. Not only has the writing space evolved, but the whole idea of author. Voices that we may never have heard from in the past can now be heard credited to this evolved writing space. You mentioned the power of the press and how it continues to grow. Do you believe the idea of press has evolved as well?
My favourite part of e-reading is the capability to interact with pieces of writing. I enjoy reading news feeds and reading the comments that follow up the story. Contributors often share their insights and opinions that I would not have thought of offering a more balanced approach of coverage from the press. I also appreciate the blogs I follow. It is easy to connect and share ideas with other like-minded individuals. I am able to read information about all of my interests from mountain biking to music, parenting to teaching. I find reading so much more engaging this way. This is not to say that I don’t enjoy getting lost in a good fiction book now and then, but I predominantly read material posted in news feeds and social networking just for the interaction with the authors.
I am interested in your comment, “Today, at least in first world countries, there are no reasons for people to remain ignorant.” I agree that there are no reasons for people not be informed, but I wonder if sometimes we are more ignorant because we can pick and choose what we read. I often find myself only reading things that interest me, and find it easy to not pay attention to the happenings of the world around me. I also find it difficult to sort through what is important, and what is not. Having access to so much information is overwhelming and I find myself just trying to sort out what is “real news” and what isn’t. Frankly I don’t have the time to sort through it all. I struggle with it all becoming a bit too much.
Thanks for your thoughts, Corinne!
In regards to the possibility of people actually being MORE ignorant today as they can pick and choose what they want to read instead of having it forced upon them is interesting. I think those people in the past who wanted to stay ignorant about things like current events would simply not watch the news. That has not changed. But for the people who actually would like to learn more about what is happnening in the world, it is important that they now have the ability to pick and choose, compare, seek increased clarification and more information. They do not simply have the events as reported by CNN or some other news broadcaster.
AHA! Terry, excellent point in regards to the media and politics! The media holds people accountable and puts actions forward for public scrutiny! I’m not saying that politicians would not embrace that opportunity…. but…. 😉
“The mechanization of writing has brought about education for the masses” and to the masses. Key is the acts of sharing over the centuries with those who couldn’t afford access, passing it along. The printing press brought news and information to the hands of almost all. It was then up to each individual to grasp the skills necessary to read those sheets. Word of mouth information could be viewed as unreliable, could be ‘lost in translation’ or slow to spread. With print the masses could become informed sooner, became knowledgeable on events that would impact their lives and second hand was usually free. Your social standing was not so much a criteria for getting access to reading materials. The clock seems to be ticking faster. Could we be going backwards with our dependence on technology? If you think about it, those who have also have the latest technology. It can be expensive to own technology if you are living paycheque to paycheque. Are we inserting a new wedge between social classes? I love my different gadgets and gizmos and what I’ve discovered they can do for me but they are within my means.
It is interesting that you say “the power of the press continued to grow”. It is a shame that that power has peaked as far as newspapers go. Many small newspapers have closed due to such things as the online competition. Those that still operate may struggle to keep their investigative journalists employed. Think about our upcoming Canadian federal election and how party funds are being earmarked toward non-print venues. For some reason(s) governments don’t seem to be embracing news media these days as their friends.
Terry
Sorry, Terry…. I accidentally replied to your comment directly above what you said, as a part of a comment thread to Corinne. Unfortunately, I do not seem to see an option to edit. lol