Journal Response 1

Whenever history is brought up in my classes, I often think about how pivotal the 20^th century was. I know that sounds glaringly obvious, but it really amazes me. In my minimal understanding of anthropology, I’m completely floored by the differences in the world of 1900 and 2000. We’ve developed incredible technologies that have greatly increased quality of life and have made our lives infinitely more convenient. These achievements greatly outweigh the adverse effects of the 20^th and 21^st centuries’ innovations, but the adverse effects are there and are worth noting. These technologies are ubiquitous and have come to pervade literally every aspect of our daily lives. They affect what and how we create art.

I think it goes without saying that today’s physical act of writing is a far cry from scribbling with a fountain ink pen by candlelight. But I think the more pertinent question is how does that affect what we write? Typing on a laptop is my vessel of choice. The quicker I can put my ideas on the page – be it physical or otherwise – the less likely I am to lose my train of thought. But there is something to be said about the physical act of writing – the tangible paper with your words transferred to it is

I think there’s also something to be said about the face-to-face connection that’s lost when these electronics are used and particularly when their use isn’t even being taught anymore. The use of computers is obviously not inherent, and is learned at some point, but in this day and age, at least in the majority of American households, that learning occurs during childhood, a result of technology being all consuming and virtually unavoidable. The education that eventually leads to a more private, introverted use of technology isn’t even exercised in a public setting (Porter 382). At one point do we determine that this is too much of a good thing and choose to change the way we interact with one another? Even if the internet does open up ulterior communication channels that streamline and proliferate virtual action, we miss so much when face-to-face interaction isn’t present. Especially in public speaking, the delivery of rhetoric is essential to its meaning, something that is entirely absent when you’re staring at a screen.