Freewrite 3

Baron argues in "From Pencils to Pixels" that all literacy technologies go through similar stages. What are some of these stages? How would Baron extend his argument?

I agree with Baron that all literacy technologies go through similar stages. The most striking similarity between all new technologies is that they are first received with resentment and uncertainty.

When writing first came into existence, Socrates was against it. He thought that orality was the most expressive form of communication and that there were dangers in writing. Would Socrates have continued living into this modern time, he probably would have accepted that writing is wonderful.

Baron explains how the telephone was also not initially well received. People were actually fearful that it would invade their privacy. A telephone call during dinner hour was unheard of.

I also know that computers were not initially embraced by the general public right away. It was not until the late '90's that if you did not have a computer, you wanted one. To say that you do not own a computer now would be received with disbelief.

Baron explains another recent example of this phenomenon. He writes that when the spell checker first came out, teachers forbid their students to use it because this did not really help the students learn to spell or honor their true knowledge. However, Baron writes "... now teachers complain if their students don’t run the spell check before they turn their papers in. "

Another similarity is obviously that, although new technologies are not initially embraced, they eventually become the norm. People are just stubborn and set in their ways. If Person A has done Task A by Method A his/her entire life, it is often difficult to change and do Task A by Method B, if that makes sense. One's brain needs to make new connections and re-learn something.

I think that both Baron and Ong note the advantages of new technologies, but I think that Ong goes further and also claims that orality had its advantages, as well. Not only this, but Ong has said that writing is, in a way, artificial. This, I believe, would be their main point of disagreement. Baron never mentions that writing, or any new technology, is artificial. He does well to praise new technology, though.