Posts
Angel Almaraz
Dr. Jason Farman
DTC 375
19 February 2009
Word count: 758
Dr. Jason Farman
DTC 375
19 February 2009
Word count: 758
The Speed of Our Communication
Fast is never fast enough. No matter how fast our communication system currently is when it is finally replaced, or remediated, by a faster system, we wonder how we ever got along without it. First, it was regular mail service replaced by fax machines and then fax machines were replaced by e-mail. E-mail was followed by text messaging and now Twitter is taking over. At first glance, our culture shows some signs of being an oral culture based on the speed in which we communicate with each other, but the basis of that communication remains literary.
To answer the question of whether our culture is an oral culture or a literary culture we must first define oral culture and literary culture. A primary oral culture is “a culture with no knowledge whatsoever of writing” (Ong 66). So clearly, ours is not a primary oral culture. A secondary oral culture is “based permanently on the use of writing and print, which are essential for the manufacture and operation of the equipment and for its use as well” (71). Our culture absolutely displays some of the characteristics of a secondary oral culture. A literary culture is one which uses letters to represent sounds and to form words (Drucker 46). A literary culture may also use logographic (a word is represented by a sign) or ideographic (a glyph represent an idea or concept) signs (48).
Our culture does display some of the same characteristics as an oral culture. The internet allows us to form our own little tribes in virtual space through blogs and social networking sites. These sites allow users to share their stories with one another. And sharing our stories with others is quicker than it has ever been. However, whereas oral cultures of the past had limited access to those outside of their tribe, we can connect with people all over the world. Chances are we will never meet the majority of the people we interact with online but we get to know one another through the exchange of text.
It could be argued that younger generations, and those who frequently use digital media, more closely resemble an oral culture, as they tend to develop their own language. But the languages they develop are based on a textual language. The shortcuts and symbols they have created and use in digital media have a meaning taken from text. And while they represent a large portion of our culture, they are not in the majority, yet.
But the foundations of our society – our legal, educational, and health care systems – are still firmly grounded in a literary culture. The written word is considered the final word because it has a physical form, whereas digital media has no form, unless it is printed. Otherwise, digital media is nothing more than ones and zeroes in virtual space. We may see more acceptance of digital media in these systems, but like all major changes, it will take time.
To answer the question of whether our culture is an oral culture or a literary culture we must first define oral culture and literary culture. A primary oral culture is “a culture with no knowledge whatsoever of writing” (Ong 66). So clearly, ours is not a primary oral culture. A secondary oral culture is “based permanently on the use of writing and print, which are essential for the manufacture and operation of the equipment and for its use as well” (71). Our culture absolutely displays some of the characteristics of a secondary oral culture. A literary culture is one which uses letters to represent sounds and to form words (Drucker 46). A literary culture may also use logographic (a word is represented by a sign) or ideographic (a glyph represent an idea or concept) signs (48).
Our culture does display some of the same characteristics as an oral culture. The internet allows us to form our own little tribes in virtual space through blogs and social networking sites. These sites allow users to share their stories with one another. And sharing our stories with others is quicker than it has ever been. However, whereas oral cultures of the past had limited access to those outside of their tribe, we can connect with people all over the world. Chances are we will never meet the majority of the people we interact with online but we get to know one another through the exchange of text.
It could be argued that younger generations, and those who frequently use digital media, more closely resemble an oral culture, as they tend to develop their own language. But the languages they develop are based on a textual language. The shortcuts and symbols they have created and use in digital media have a meaning taken from text. And while they represent a large portion of our culture, they are not in the majority, yet.
But the foundations of our society – our legal, educational, and health care systems – are still firmly grounded in a literary culture. The written word is considered the final word because it has a physical form, whereas digital media has no form, unless it is printed. Otherwise, digital media is nothing more than ones and zeroes in virtual space. We may see more acceptance of digital media in these systems, but like all major changes, it will take time.
We do not have to try to memorize all of our ideas nor do we have to create mnemonic devices to aid in the recall of some piece of information or a memory as an oral culture would (Ong 68). Today, when a mnemonic device is used to recall information, it is used as an additional way of recalling information, not as the only option. All of the information and ideas we generate are easily stored and retrieved. The only obstacle in retrieving our data is the ever-changing digital media used to store and retrieve it. As Ong states:
In an oral culture, to think through something in non-formulaic, non-patterned, non-mnemonic terms, even if it were possible, would be a waste of time, for such thought, once worked through, could never be recovered with any effectiveness, as it could be with the aid of writing. It would not be abiding knowledge but simple a passing thought, however complex. (69)
Therefore, if our culture was truly an oral culture then none of the advancements that lead to the creation of digital media or that increased the speed with which we communicate would have been possible. Mnemonic devices would not have been able to cover a simple programming code, much less a very complex one. We would still be using letters to reach people on the other side of the world instead of turning on a computer or using a cell phone. Our culture has definitely sped up the ways in which we communicate with one another but it remains a literary culture.
Works Cited
Drucker, Johanna. “The Alphabet.” Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Eds. David Crowley, Paul Heyer. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. 46-55.
Ong, Walter. “Orality, Literacy, and Modern Media.” Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society. Eds. David Crowley and Paul Heyer. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. 66-72.
Zach Woffinden
ReplyDelete5 March 2009
302
To say that we are a literary culture and dismiss the visuality of our society seems a little blind sighted. True with the advancements of society we are working faster, and doing more but with that increase of speed also comes the increase of memorizing. I submit that due to the increase of technology the partnered speed that comes has turned out culture back into a culture visuality and orality.
Pictographs, as described by Drucker and McGann, “does not rely on the conventions of columns, lines, or other constrained arrangements of marks that characterize writing” (section II.). After visiting a friend in Florida I was traveling back home. Upon arriving at the very bust Florida airport I proceeded to look for the United Air check in station. Now looking back on the situation I realized that I was not looking for the words “united Air” but for the image of United Air. When u have to use the restroom, do you look for the words “RESTROOM”, no you look for the men and women symbols. Our culture moves so fast that in order to keep up there is no time to read everything; there is time enough to see the picture, and remember what it means. I sit here at my computer and look for my internet browser, instead I find a compass. However, due to past experiences and the orality of others I know that this compass will lead me to the internet.
In conclusion I admit that at the core of much we do here is a special group that run off of literacy, but as a culture we run off of visuality. Our eyes see, then the mind translates. Tyr raendig tihs snetnce, adn mkae snese of ti. Teh eeys sees adn teh mnid tarnsaltes. What did I say?