Communication Made Easy
The first step to writing a paper included a trip to the local library. Hopefully everyone else wasn't writing about same topic I picked! Like Landow, I "encountered hardcover textbooks and anthologies, paperbound books, and inexpensive hardbound editions, such as thouse issued by Modern Library, Everyman, and Oxford Classics." (page 215) ... See my Tabblo>
Internet technologies and conventions have certainly changed the way I communicated. This is definitely more noticeably in my work career. When I first started in the workforce, computers were not part of the job. A few years later, the NBI (first acronym) was installed on every floor for word processing purposes. Memos and all communication, of course, were paper and very formal. I have noticed that the language today and then is very different. As Birkerts writes “language will grow increasingly impoverished through a series of vicious cycles.� Like work attire, communication is more casual and relaxed. I’ve even noticed this about myself.
The PC was introduced at work during the mid-80’s. Few acronyms were used and most people were familiar with them (DOS, LAN). Today it is a different story. I don’t think it matters if you are on the business or technology side, acronyms, icons, and hyperlinks are everywhere. I started to think of all the acronyms used on a daily basis at work. I was truly amazed with acronyms for technology, projects, departments, and methodologies (SQL, CAS, OE, EDI,CTC, EBS, ESM,GPO,ITIL,ADM,LS,). Sometimes during meetings, I need to write these down. Apparently my brain does decipher acronyms as fast as others. In the Birkerts article, he cites that modern media turns off certain people born before WW2. They don’t understand how we can read and watch TV at the same time (and maybe talk on the phone too). “Baby boomers have a multilayered, multitrack ability to deal with the world.� I can do this with ease but those acronyms throw me for a loop! As far my personal life, I don’t use acronyms. For that matter, I don’t use hyperlinks or icons either. I don’t text or IM either. This most likely, has something to do with my lack of acronyms. I do like to email (in most cases) rather than pick up the phone.
Comments
I can still remember when my teachers could be outdone by the students for a number of years when the web was brand new. We would be sent to the library, which was equipped with a computer lab, and just lookup the information on line much faster than it would have taken to search through books. Our teacher explained that this was "not the right way to do things" and that you cannot trust anything online. I even remember my group once using government websites for a social studies project in middle school. We had to find out vital information about a country. Using the CIA website we had everything we needed and more than what was required, but we were cited for not having the proper sources. Today anything found on a reputable website would generally be seen as true, and we are now often urged to use the web as our primary resource. Times have changed.
Posted by: William | March 25, 2007 09:12 PM
Hi Julia:
I liked your comment about liking the feel of books. I think that is the main stubling block to books going totally digital--it is simply too hard on the eyes. I have been printing out and highlighting these articles too.
When I worked at a book store the popular books were all the trade paperbacks--ones that had perhaps come out in hard cover, but were reissued with an attractive cover in a bigger format and better binding than the traditional (cheaper) paperback. So we have more choices in our book-buying and publishers have more choices in marketing. I think some books are never even issued in hard cover. I know one thing. People were sure not buying e-books.
I have to disagree that baby-boomers or any generation has a monopoly on having multi-layered, multi-track ability to deal with the world. I think that is more a skill built by different professions or even imbedded in some personalities.
Posted by: Ramonac | March 25, 2007 11:49 PM