J.D. Applen, in a portion of his book “Old Media, New Media, and Knowledge”, discusses writing as a technology and how there is a distinct difference between spoken and written words. His writing was very clear and the points that he made were backed up by Walter Ong. After reading so much of Eyman, this piece was a breath of fresh air, and I really did enjoy reading it. Every point that Applen made was clear and backed up without overcomplicating anything. From his focus of writing as a technology to his analysis of written and oral culture, he highlighted every point clearly.
Differences between Oral and Written Culture
One of the main points that Applen focuses on, with Ong’s help, are the differences between oral and written cultures. Those who take part in oral culture practice imitating what others say in order to do it themselves. Oral culture involves memorization to the extreme and the passing down of ideas and statements. On the other hand, written culture enables the ability to write things down, examine ideas, and critically contribute to them. Without the ability to write things down, it becomes difficult to accurately retransmit ideas. It complicates the analysis of ideas and it disrupts the process of developing complex definitions. Plato found that focusing more primarily on written communication would dissolve the ability to memorize things. I think he failed to realize that there could be the incorporation of both. Memorization mixed with writing and analysis to max out somebody’s capacity to think and interpret.
Respecting the Oral and Written Ways
Although I agree with Ong and Applen in terms of written cultures being important in order to immortalize words and ideas, acknowledging the importance of the differing cultures without placing one on a pedestal is a must. In a piece titled “Oral vs Written Cultures: The Imagined Binary” written by Shamina Kallu, she states that oral cultures are viewed as inferior in comparison to written cultures. The difference is noticeable between cultures but it is critical to not put one on a pedestal. As Applen states, oral cultures have the ability to be very complex due to needed memorization. For example, the Odyssey initially consisted of different poets memorizing varying parts of the piece. Written culture and oral culture consist of different characteristics but they both serve a purpose in their respective culture.
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