Before the days of writing, daily communication was very different. Words had no “visual presence.” [Wong, 66] They were simply sounds. When writing was invented, it completely changed the culture of not only the United States, but the entire world and the human race as well. Through written communication we have given meanings to words which were once empty sounds.
At first glance, it almost seems as though communication through speech dominates today’s society. Both of the articles from the Washington Post seem to argue that the literacy and intelligence of Americans are steadily on the decrease, and the problem is only going to get worse with new technologies. However, I disagree. Based on my experiences so far, I believe that overall, today’s society is dominated mainly by communication through writing.
Some argue that leisure reading among young adults, and even adults, is at an all time low. Maybe this is because they are so busy text messaging or checking their facebook page. As stated in The Washington Post Article by Howard Gardner, “young people seem to have a compulsion to stay in touch with one another all the time.” For today’s youth, commenting their friends’ latest pictures or replying to a text is much more appealing than reading a book that they don’t necessarily have to read. The most important thing in their life is constantly communicating with their friends, even at the expense of their learning.
Another argument for a speech dominated society is the slow and steady elimination of newspapers. According to Susan Jacoby, “the decline of newspaper and magazine reading is nothing new,” and it isn’t. In recent years it has made local and even national news that many newspapers are being forced to eliminate staff members and even stop printing because of a decrease in readership. Recently The Rocky Mountain Press was forced to shut down after nearly one-hundred and fifty years in business. However, walking around the UMBC campus, you would never guess that the newspaper industry is in trouble. On any given morning, you can see numerous people reading the paper while eating their breakfast in the dining hall. On college campuses such as UMBC, newspapers are the primary source of news for students. Many of them do not have time to turn on the news every night to find out what’s going outside the UMBC campus. As a former staff member of UMBC’s own student-run newspaper, I have witnessed the popularity of newspapers on college campuses. This challenges popular belief that people no longer read newspapers, either online or written, to get their information daily.
Coming from a tiny town in southern Harford County, I have witnessed how writing can affect a small town culture. For years, both my high school and the surrounding area have been the subject of ridicule by a local newspaper. Because the area is so small, the community is dependent mainly on this newspaper for all of their news, despite the validity of the stories. The media has complete control over the public’s opinion. Many of the ideas in these small towns are communicated through writing rather than speech.
The recent facebook phenomenon further proves our society’s addiction to communication through writing. Facebook has become almost a necessity to college students. We check our page hourly to see who has written on our wall or updated their status. It has become almost an addiction, and is now an important part of culture. I wrote an article for The Retriever Weekly last semester about how facebook is now being considered as part of the admissions process for some colleges. Fifty years ago, this would have never been a factor. While researching for the article, I found out that eighty-six percent of students in four year colleges have a facebook and fifty-nine percent have a myspace. These numbers are shocking. In my opinion, this fact alone proves how much of a role writing has on today’s society.
Instant messaging and text messaging have further turned our society into a writing dominated culture. Almost everywhere you look people are text messaging. For us, texting is the most convenient way to remind people we need something or to simply let them know we are thinking about them. When we are in a crowded room or in the middle of class, it’s the easiest and most discrete way to talk to our friends. This is the perfect example of the rise of written communication in today’s society.
Even the older generation is starting to get involved in this new written culture. Parents, who before didn’t know how to properly use a computer, are now creating facebook pages so they can make sure that their kids are behaving. My cousin, who is in her late fifties, recently created a facebook so that she can keep in touch with her friends, as well as family. Instead of picking up the phone to tell me about family news or other things that are going on in her hometown, she simply leaves me a comment on my wall. This shows how society as a whole, frequently spreads news through writing, not speech. However, the older generation is not just using facebook. They are now text messaging as well. My mom barely knows how to use her phone, yet she will text me at least once a day to check up on me instead of picking up the phone and calling me. This further proves my point that written communication is seen as the best communication, even between loved ones.
Today, offers a perfect example of the influence WashingtonPost.com of writing here at UMBC. When updates were coming in on the status of classes this morning, many people were getting them through a text message. As lazy college students, it would be an inconvenience for us to get out of our nice warm bed and hear on the tv that school has been cancelled. In addition, many people would want written confirmation that classes were cancelled to ensure that they had not misheard the news anchor.
Only time will tell which form of communication will continue to dominant. Evidence seems to support that future communication may be a mix of speech and of writing, as more and more technologies are being created.
Gardner, Howard “The End of Literacy? Don’t Stop Reading.” 17 February 2008
Jacoby, Susan “The Dumbing of America” WashingtonPost.com 17 February 2008
Ong,Walter. "Media in Ancient Empires." Communication in History; Technology, Culture, Society. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. 66-72
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I would agree that in today’s society, communication is dominated by writing. In our generation, as we even saw in our “class poll,” overall, we tend to communicate consistently through text messaging and the Internet. Although I am a huge advocate of this technology, I believe it is directly affecting our ability to communicate with individuals in a face-to-face or on the phone setting. I like how you incorporated older adults in the generation’s trend of communication. My grandparents, for example, are constantly getting in contact with me about how to use their computer and cell phone. All and all, I think you made some great points comparing and contrasting the two forms of communication.
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