“Readers have questioned the validity of written documents since the technology of writing first came on the scene” (Dennis). This is incredibly truthful. In class we talked about how when writing was first a thing, only 5% could write and the other 95% followed what the 5% wrote. So the 5% of people that could write were royals and writing rules and structures that everyone had to follow so it wasn’t always skepticism but with time as more and more people were able to read, more and more people could question what they were reading and the validity of it. New technologies bring mistrust which is understandable. Today when we Google something, we get about 10,000 results on one particular thing. I Googled the word “search” and about “15,240,000,000 results appeared in 0.57 seconds. This is insane. How do you trust each source? How do you know the authenticity of each search? We covered this in class “is seeing believing?” and I don’t think seeing is believing. Since the invention of a paintbrush things can be made what we want them to be. From the first few weeks of class, we were shown medieval paintings and modern photos. Medieval paintings are great because they are historical but the painters can paint the flaws out of people and make them appear to be prettier/better. With photoshop it is the same idea. Things can be created to look perfect when that isn’t always the case. As Baron says “technologies let us recreate the world and also lie about it”.
In chapter 8 Baron discusses writing on screen. Something that was interesting about this chapter was that without the technology of writing things like governance, education, culture, arts, businesses would not exist the same way. With reading and writing online we become a more efficient and faster world. So much is happening with the digital revolution it’s almost scary to see what will happen next. With the invention of the computer, the computer has been able to shrink to about 2.00 pounds and still function well. Since the invention of the mobile phone, it’s gone from the size of a brick to having a handheld palm computer. So obviously the advancement in technology has helped us improve. In chapter eight the author also discusses instant messaging which is a game changer in communication. Instant message works in real time like a phone call and it’s so simple to use and people can talk for hours on this for free. I know when I was in elementary school I would use AOL AIM all the time. I would talk and connect with everyone and all my friends and we would make plans on there to meet up because we didn’t have cell phones yet. Then I got my first phone in middle school and that changed and people stopped using AIM. Now there is a way to instant message people on Facebook, snapchat, almost anything you do, you can talk to a person “directly” via instant message.
In chapter nine Baron talks about how everyone is an author. Because of the internet people can read and write whatever they want and they can be published whether it’s in a blog or ebook. So computers enable humans to write whatever and publish anything online and people can connect to it. It seems almost impossible to make it now with so many people able to read and write, so to write something that stands out and can pass the test of time like Harry Potter or Hunger Games series is very very difficult. It is extremely hard to get noticed with more and more people being published and writing. When writing first came about, not many literary works were saved because very few could read and write. This is why we study Chaucer, Shakespeare and other classical literatures because they are such timeless pieces of writing that everyone reads.
No comments:
Post a Comment