When the printing press was invented in the mid-1400's, it had a major impact on the accessibility of information through the written word. Prior to this, the process of making books was quite tedious and difficult, making them rare and only obtainable by the economic elite. With the printing process now easier than ever, more copies of books were put in circulation and the information they held could now be discovered by the peasants and commoners.
In the modern era, books are more prevalent than ever. From factual to fantastical, there is no end to the amount of stories and findings being put to print. However, books may possibly be under threat with the rising popularity of the internet. With information and entertainment just one click away, many are turning away from books in favor of online articles and social media.
Now, although people are flocking to the world wide web in large numbers, the internet could never truly eradicate books. Many still love to read their favorite stories or historical accounts off of a page. Not only that, but digital and audio books also make it possible to read or listen to books on the go, with the internet actually helping to make this possible. With these valuable resources, books will never truly lose in their constant struggle against the internet.
However, the fact remains that it is more possible to avoid reading and yet still be entertained or informed. Is this a disgrace to our ancestors who lived in a time where the diffusion of the written word was considerably impeded? Perhaps the answer is both yes and no. Regardless, we still owe it to them to enjoy literature of all kinds to not let the progress made during their lives be in vain centuries later.
Image Credit: Gutenberg Press Replica, https://www.prepressure.com/printing/history/1400-1499
Perhaps one of the biggest effects that the internet has had in these past few years is stretching the definition of what is considered "Literature". If we can all agree that books and poetry are literature, than what about songs? Plays? Movies, Cartoons, Manga, Visual Novels, are all of these literature? That's one of the big questions that scholars and students today are always asking. Another is that, if all of these things can be called "Literature", does the word lose it's meaning? I'm not so sure about that.
ReplyDeleteHuman beings have and will always have the strong desire to disseminate information. In does not matter if that information started out on clay tablets and ended up on smart phones; what matters is that we are communicating with one another. As technology advances so quickly, in this generation, we would do well to expose our children to all of it: read paper books to your two-year-old, but also pull up an app on your phone and play a game with her. See all information as a blessing and be sure to use it wisely.
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