{"id":1,"date":"2021-01-11T18:24:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T18:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/?p=1"},"modified":"2021-01-12T10:52:55","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T17:52:55","slug":"hello-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/2021\/01\/11\/hello-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining Terms: Text & Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between the words <\/span>text <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>technology<\/span><\/i>, I think there may be another term that we need to add to the mix: <\/span>medium<\/i><\/b>. My initial impressions would indicate that <\/span>text <\/span><\/i>is a medium by which humans communicate, share, and obtain information. Similarly, technology in many of its forms, extends or enhances a human function and thereby serves as a medium for interaction in our world. An elementary example: reading glasses. Glasses are an extension of our capability to see, and oftentimes, correct or enhance this function as we navigate through the physical world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When we put the two together (<\/span>Text + Technologies<\/span><\/i>), it seems as if we are dealing specifically with the media that has evolved in conjunction with the two and analyzing how the ability to read and write has evolved throughout the ages. An OED search on the word \u201ctext\u201d provided two interesting definitions:<\/span><\/p>\n

N.1<\/i><\/b>: <\/span>The wording of anything written or printed; the structure formed by the words in their order; the very words, phrases, and sentences as written.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

V:<\/i><\/b> To inscribe, write, or print in a text-hand or in capital or large letters.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I found it intriguing that text can be used in varying contexts. It\u2019s interesting also, that although I\u2019ve characterized text as a medium itself, it seems as if text must be transcribed into\/ onto a different medium (ie – text within a book, a text message within a phone, text on a stone plate etc.). An OED search on \u201ctechnology\u201d yielded very different results:<\/span><\/p>\n

N.1: <\/i><\/b>The product of such application; technological knowledge or know-how; a technological process, method, or technique. Also: machinery, equipment, etc., developed from the practical application of scientific and technical knowledge; an example of this.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure these definitions match exactly with my initial impressions of the words themselves. I think the evolution and advancement of digital technology, for example, has expanded the context of many words and phrases we currently use today. Have you ever recognized how we personify our computers or phones as <\/span>dead<\/i><\/b> once the battery runs out? Or how we used archaic words to describe the utility of new technology? (ie – we continue to \u2018scroll\u2019 through text on our phones, when once we read from them. We continue to use \u2018horse power\u2019 to describe the power of vehicles once pulled by horses).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Take a look at this Google NGram chart outlining the usage of the words \u201ctext\u201d, \u201ctechnology\u201d, \u201cmedia\u201d, and \u201cmedium\u201d over the course of history (throughout 1500-2019). I think the most glaring information presented here is the uptick of usage of the word \u201ctext in the early 1500\u2019s. I wonder how much of this was a result of the invention of the commercial printing press in c. 1450. I can\u2019t help but notice the rise in the word \u201cmedia\u201d as well towards the year 2000. Part of me wonders, too, how the word \u201cmedia\u201d can have various connotations such as the \u2018news media\u2019 or pertain to some other journalistic realm.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between the words text and technology, I think there may be another term that we need to add to the mix: medium. My initial impressions would indicate that text is a medium by which humans communicate, share, and obtain information. Similarly, technology in many of its forms, extends or enhances a human function and thereby … Continue reading Defining Terms: Text & Technologies<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65284,"featured_media":10,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9,4,5,8,7,6],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities","tag-defining-terms","tag-media","tag-medium","tag-technologies","tag-technology","tag-text"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/5"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec540techtextthoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}