Apple belief is that print equals stability. Words laid out in ink felt permanent, unchangeable. He wants us to know that a printed page holds knowledge that could be distributed and preserved. I agree with this because I am a person that loves writing with pen and paper. However, in this new age, many people don’t do that. It is much easier to type your work out with a keyboard. This new type of technology is what erodes the stability of printed text. Digital text now has the capacity to be remixed, edited, and circulated at a much quicker pace.
This shift now brings into question the authenticity of the words being printed. How do we know that what is being written is the “truth”? Applen seeks to point out that we now live in a world where the things we write and read have no stability or credibility. It is not assured, therefore, the rhetorical consequences are harsher.
Coexistence of Technology
Once upon a time, words were the only thing found on a page. Now, text, image, and movement coexist. Applen wants us to see the text on a screen, not merely as a container for old ideas, but as a new rhetorical environment where words are moved, resized, hyperlinked, and more. This view is powerful because it reframes digital writing as design. Digital literacy means more than just typing, it is now a visual and interactive feature for how people understand text.
Applen also brings out how writing is a living process. The different mediums of writing have now exposed text to be ongoing and participatory. This means that both the reader and writer are co-participants in digital spaces.
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