Do We Really Want to Write like Shakespeare?

"poet + programmer," as Waber calls himself, = a new job positioning--and this is what technology is doing; it’s not “firing” people and stripping people of skills, but rather creating new positions and asking people to use these skills in new ways. It is impossible for a culture to advance if its citizens are not willing to deal with change. And yes, some changes are more drastic than others, like how we have left snail mail in the dust and switched to the less personal but the way more convenient e-mail. What we often fail to realize is that technology is actually helping us. It is creating more jobs for everyone, and even, yes, for writers. Jobs like website publisher or online editor may not be as creative as virtual poetry creations like “Five by Five” or “The Body," but it does pay the bills.

My roommate, a photo major, read a section of her book on the language of light to me last night and I’ve pondered a certain phrase ever since. It said something along the lines of “Shakespeare was a great writer but we wouldn’t want to write like him today.” And that’s true—and it applies to what we’re talking about here. Writing, just like photography, must change just as time does. If we don’t face the fact that the medium in which we present writing is changing, our work is going to be as unappealing as an outdated retro-styled living room—and sadly that’s not what is going to attract audience and readers. And digital mediums aren’t that bad; they may actually assist us in refining our writing, making it the best it can be. Track changes can make our computer screen look like a paper with lines and scribbles and cross-outs.

And this new medium of virtual poetry lets our imaginations run wild. I especially think the “The Body” poem is awesome. It gives a much deeper look into the author’s psyche and what she is really trying to convey. This poem just wouldn’t have the same effect on paper. It makes the audience think and it lets readers dive into the poem and become a part of the poem—we can pick and chose where we want to visit. And the hyperlinks make it that much more appealing—by clicking on them we realize that the body is one, that it is all related. Frantically piling through pieces of paper to realize this was all connected just wouldn’t have the same effect.

The Charm of Print

Seeing your writing in print has a certain charm—a charm that words published on a computer screen cannot match; and I just can’t help but constantly claim this point. I may be naive in saying this, but I think that people still believe this, and for this reason, print will never die; it may decrease, but it won’t die. Bolter also sticks to this optimism—he says writing in print is more comfortable—it’s easier to read (not distracting to the eyes like a computer screen) and can more comfortably be read in bed (a computer may be quite more difficult), not to mention a book more easily fits into a purse over a laptop.
Before reading Bolter, I formed black and white opinions about the mixture of technology and the art of writing (that it takes away from the writer)—but what I didn’t realize is there is a huge grey area, where my opinion now lies. Writing and technology work together, and it always has—Gutenberg’s printing press was a massive technological advance, as was the word processor and the computer.
A culture shifts along with technology—an advance in technology changes culture, and the writing itself describes and characterizes the culture. All forms of technology, from the earliest from of engraving on a stone to today’s computers, were, in some form, seen as a threat to writing itself. The printing press caused mass production and distribution of works and now computers now reach more audiences. How has the computer-aged era and World Wide Web threatened our culture in a different way than other technological advances? Are we threatened the hyperlinks, hypertexts and hyper-readers? Or is it that we have trouble adjusting to the new medium where work appears (just as, perhaps, those who witnessed the adjustment from papyrus to paper)?
Perhaps writing in a digital medium can improve a writer’s work—make it that much more suitable for publication. Editing on a computer and using the World Wide Web for research, are just two examples how an improvement in technology can improve a work of writing.
The addition of advanced technology to our culture improves writing, and improves that the charm of seeing your own writing in print. I believe we’ll always have books—what would our culture be without books?

My Blog Beliefs

If I was not asked to create a blog for a class, I would not be blogging at the moment, nor would I have my own blog-spot. For as long as I can remember my friend Danielle has had a livejournal account and I never liked it--and still don't. I guess I'm just not comfortable with sharing my personal thoughts with the entire Internet community and anyone willing to find out more about me (perhaps even a stalker?). Sure you can have a "fake" name, as I am just going by K for this blog, but in my eyes, that doesn't change much. I don't want to share my deepest, most darkest thoughts with blog readers--I want to share them with my real journal, the one I keep tucked away in my room that I write in the "old-fashioned" way--with a pen. There's that charm, that pure-ness, of just writing in your own journal--for me, it is the only true time I don't care about grammar and flow, I just get my thoughts out. I am my only audience. But with a blog, I feel like no matter how hard I tried, I would embellish facts and sensor other facts, and how excatly does that help to reveal my true thoughts and feelings?

Just like the facebook, myspace and all the others, blogging is just setting yourself up to be stripped of privacy. Before I was called for an interview at a clothing boutique I was "looked up on facebook." Because they thought I "was cute" and "sounded cool" I was called for an interview and eventually got the job. Of course, I didn't find this out until a month later, when we were searching facebook for a new employee. What if they had stumbled upon a blog of mine and read my deepest thoughts--the ones that reveal I am a little crazy? And this is just for a summer job--what if a big corporate employer was searching me, and all my qualifications were stellar except my livejournal?

I don't mean to fully dis blogs, becuase they do have some benefits. You can connect with people. You can find an audience of people who are willing to listen to you--and to read what you wrote. It's technology continuing to peak. For those who spill their guts on blogs, I give you props--you have much more courage than me. However, for the time being, I'm sticking to ink and paper that's hidden somewhere where you'll never find it.

Oh, and do I think blogs change the world? Not really. They may change people's personal worlds and they way they view their own world, but I don't think they change our world as a whole.