The beautiful thing about technology is that it is right there, at your fingertips, whenever it is needed. Books are wonderful, and the aesthetic of holding and reading a book will never wear off. However a Kindle, Laptop or iPod can now hold and access, literally, thousands of books, magazines, periodicals, films, essays, blogs, etc... from all corners of the planet. This means that whoever is using one of these devices can expand their knowledge of a topic exponentially with the simple click of a button. Books are useful, but to be able to access multiple books at once without being in a library is something that can expand a mind rapidly.
Unfortunately, the downside to these advancements is the speed and the resulting language that comes with excess information. Being able to read anything anywhere is great, but time is still needed to actually read. What i mean by this, is that like books, anything found electronically still has to be deciphered and read by a person's two eyes and deduced in their own brain. But because of the speed in which we can absorb all this information, shortened "AIM" speak has been steadily integrated into society so that communication - not necessarily language and text in general - can be quicker, read faster, and absorbed easier. Does this mean we are dumbing down, even though we have more ready information that ever before? In my humble opinion, yes and no. When it all comes down to a single point, it is what we want to gain from that technology that makes us more or less cognoscente of what is going on around us - wether it is considering world affairs or reading about a Paris Hilton nipple-slip.
I've been writing about this same subject in my blog, specifically in my post titled "Cookie Monster," which, despite the name, is actually about my grammar class.
ReplyDeleteCheck it out (and the link to the poet Taylor Mali). I think you'll find a better answer to your question than "yes and no."
I have to agree with your sentiment that as wonderful as the book is, one cannot ignore the advantages that come with the advancement of technology. Like most students, I have been saved numerous times from being forced to admit that I forgot to read or print out something thanks to my laptop or phone. Furthermore, I have recently had the advantage of using an e-textbook and have found the experience strange, yet oddly gratifying thanks to all the computers helps me do so much more quickly, such as finding a certain word or topic in an instant, to the more physical aspect of saving me the work of lugging around a heavy textbook all day long. Although I do at times miss actually holding a book in my hand, I cannot deny the benefits that come with having everything I typically need for class at my fingertips. I have even recently taken to typing my notes out as opposed to handwriting them simply because I now no longer need multiple notebooks and am able to type more quickly than I can write andt his allows more time for me to actually focus on what the professor is saying instead of scrambling to write evertthing down before my hand starts to cramp. Although I do not think print books will ever become obsolete, I will people will have to start embracing the e-world unless they wish to miss out on the many benefits and advantages that come from it.
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