Some of Tyner’s writing made me think about when and why some new technologies REPLACE other older ones, while other new electronic formats co-exist with older formats.
I like Ong’s explanation about how new technologies that are based on the older ones actually can help reinforce and strengthen the older ones. Just like print and oral traditions blended together to produce a new, stronger form of oral language and discourse, other forms of electronic media can strengthen its base. (Tyner 56) I found some comfort and common sense in Graff’s conclusion #9: “Literacies co-exist. One form of communication does not automatically displace another” (Tyner 39). Writing didn’t replace speaking, the music video didn’t kill the radio, and in my opinion on-line books and readers are not going to replace paper books. (Although the author of this article, If cars can replace buggies, e-books can replace p-books would disagree.) These things can build on each other without eliminating one.
However, lots of new technologies definitely do replace old ones. Sometimes this happens when newer media and technology have the same exact purpose as an older item, such as the online computer databases replacing card catalogs. The online catalogs have taken the place of the cards, for the most part since they can work more efficiently. For another example, record players have been replaced by newer music technology (8-tracks, cassette tapes, CDs, MP3s….). That’s not to say there isn’t some that don’t still appreciate the value that the older items have, such as the handwritten notes or even the smudges on the card catalog, or the crackly sound of a record, but they aren’t something easily found by the general public today.
So is it possible for older technologies to be able to transcend time?
3 comments:
Oh, I dunno. The vinyl vs. digital debate isn't settled yet anymore than the film vs. digital debate is. There are plenty of audiophiles who insist that a properly calibrated vinyl record player will always have superior sound than the current digital technologies. Likewise with the film aficiandos, particularly with b&w silver-based film and slide film.
But as digital becomes more convenient, there will be fewer and fewer of us holdouts developing film in the basement. This is a loss in many ways - my results are cheaper and more permanent than digital photos. I can use equipment passed down through generations and get results that are equal or superior to products of the most recent digital developments, for now at least.
There are hidden costs to most digital tools: How quickly do versions expire? How long will the technology last? Will the old versions translate into the new settings? In the explosion of products, will we have time to read/look/listen to anything?
I think the answer lies somewhere in between extinction and the status quo. I can take fun photos with a 100 year old camera I found in my mom's drawer, but I never would have had the courage to try without the support of people I found on flickr who love to share their knowledge and examples by converting from an older product (film) to a new one (scanned digital images). I can find people online that share my geeky interests, but that can actually encourage totally anachronistic impulses as well as more futuristic ones.
I guess the great thing with all the choices among older and newer technology is that usually people CAN choose what kind of media they want. You can choose how to read a book, whether in paper, audio, or electronically. People can still even choose to use a horse and buggy, like the Amish. You won't be forced to use a digital camera (although you might need to upgrade your TV to HD).
When the choice is taken away, like when the public library switches to a computerized database, then people are understandably upset, because they don't get to decide what works better for them.
Very true - I think many people who come off as hostile to technology are mainly resenting the replacement of tools they found worked perfectly well for them.
It's all very well to talk about speed and efficiency and connections, but we should listen carefully when people say something is lost when we replace things too quickly.
Sometimes, of course, we can't choose. And all of us have to learn how to deal with changes. But in our enthusiasm for new things we shouldn't forget the benefits of the older ways too.
I'm jabbering away - all this basically just means "Yes! I agree!" :-P
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