Introduction
The wireless digital phone coming out and text messaging took the world by storm. I remember texting my high school friends; my grandmas were so confused. She asked how you feel emotion when writing and looking at a screen? I answered her with emojis created for that or abbreviations such as lol. In “ Old Media, New Media, and Knowledge” by JD Applen, he gave us the difference between written and digital words. He makes you think about how the delivery will be within a message.
Letters
Getting a letter from a pen pal will give you a better feeling than just getting a text message. Knowing that your friend from far away put the time and effort into sitting down and writing a letter to you. Getting to open the envelope to see what’s inside, instead of clicking your phone open. You can read what they texted sitting from their bed. It is funny how we moved on from something that was so regular as a society. Writing letters was a part of everyday life; now, people have to carve out time to sit and write.
Print Word has Weight
In this chapter, Applen brings up an idea from Sven Birkerts, saying words carry weight to them. Applen then gives an example of a stone carver; the first literature piece sketched into a stone in “ The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Those words have weight to every single one of them. However, digital words, in stark contrast, are fleeting and easily erased or deleted. The app called Snapchat is a perfect embodiment of this; a post only lasts for 24 hours. Emphasizing the urgency and ephemerality of digital communication. Similarly, when you text someone, the text disappears as soon as they read it, further underlining the transient nature of digital words.
Conclusion
My thoughts are neutral with this idea. Some people will value letters for their personal touch, a sentiment that gets often lost in communicating digitally. However, we can not disregard digital writing entirely; it has brought forth many great things. Such as e-books, blogs, and online articles, and has revolutionized the way we communicate. As a society, we have largely transitioned from paper to screens; it’s important to adapt to this new world of literature and communication. While also appreciating the benefits that digital writing brings.
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