Although teens may not realize it, they have created a new form of writing through their use of technology. The new generation constantly exchanges text via instant messaging, emails, social networking sites, text messages, etc. They have created a new, more informal language which greatly contrasts their previous idea of writing-which would be the formal, research oriented paper, essay type writing they do for school. This new language they have created is littered with abbreviations and grammatical errors and is impacting how they write in school. "Nearly two-thirds of teens admit to using some form of informal text in their school writing: half use non-standard punctuation and capitalization, four in ten have used text shortcuts (such as 'LOL'), and one quarter have used emoticons" (Talking about teens, writing and technology on NPR). There is no doubt that the line between the professional type of writing and the new informal writing is becoming hazy. The two forms of writing are fusing together, in multiple media. As the informal, online language teens have created infiltrates the print world, formal print writing is also being introduced to the online world.
Journalism and magazines along with other head honchos of print writing are getting web-wise and are reaching a larger audience then the print world could fathom. Many newspapers are adapting completely to the online world, abandoning the use of printers all together and others are soon to follow. "Media organizations are afraid right now. It's obvious that something's got to change... 31 percent of Americans now consume news online at least three days a week" (Old School Journalism Goes Online). The craft of writing is being forced to change along with the switch over to the web in the media. It is hard to keep readers' attention when they can easily move past anything with the click of a mouse. Writers are accommodating this new audience by attempting to offer instant gratification. The Educational system is also on the heels of the web-wise revolution.
Schools across the country are adapting to the new technological means of writing just as they have done with every other hi-tech advance attainable in the past. Every school is constantly bettering themselves to use the newest technologies and methods. Once iPods scattered the globe, they were integrated into education much like online writing is being integrated now. "Foreign language classes at Duke use iPods to respond to verbal quizzes, record audio journals, listen to poems and songs, and receive oral feedback from their teacher" (Learning English with iPods). The same spirit of technological incorporation into education is evident with the use of blogs and email. "79% of college students reported that Internet use has had a positive impact on their college academic experience. Nearly half reported that email enables them to express ideas to a professor that they had would not have expressed in class" (The Internet Goes to College: How Students are Living in the Future with Today's Technology). Although not all aspects of education will benefit from the web-wise revolution, the majority will find improvement. Educational institutions are creating classes where "web pages [are] designed to allow multiple authors to ass, remove, and edit content. [Teachers] can post guidelines and assignments, and students can publish their work, leave feedback, help each other revise writing, and much more" (Getting Web-Wise). Wikis are proving to be very beneficial to group dynamic work in schools.
Although so many schools are utilizing this technology, the question of if it hurts them or helps them is often raised. Yes, the informal language that has been created by the youth of the country does not mix well with the old school grammar and professional, formal writing. But clear writing is clear writing, no matter what the medium. The people who realize this will be able to reach the audience they are targeting. College students are learning to craft their online writing. "Internet use is staple of college students' educational experience. They use the Internet to communicate with professors and classmates, to do research, and to access library materials. For most college students the Internet is a functional tool, one that has greatly changes the way they interact with others and with information as they go about their studies" (The Internet Goes to College: How Students are Living in the Future with Today's Technology) They write in both informal and formal situations online. College students are proving the two types of writing can coexist in the new medium of the online realm.
The benefits of online writing and capabilities outweigh the disadvantages. Formats and grammatical styles may change, but good content will rise above the rest. If anything, the content of online writing will surpass print media because of the bottomless research one can make with the click of a mouse. "Online writing technologies have improved student writing, because more people are writing and sharing their writing than at any time in the history of humanity" (Speak Out: Does Technology Hurt Student Writing?). More text is being exchanges than ever, mostly by teens today. The audience reached by the online world is much larger than previously available with the print media and economic changes go hand in hand with the web wise revolution.
With the switch to online, publication and advertising are adapting to the new media as well. The audience reached by the online world is younger than with print media, and it is growing at a rapid rate. "The online population expanded from roughly 86 million Americans in March 2000, to 126 million in August 2003" (The Changing Picture of Who's Online and What They Do). As more and more people utilize new technology for exchanging text, advertising evolves as well. Sidebar advertisements pay for web pages and companies choose to advertise on sites that their customers would have interest. Social networks take information individuals post in their personal profiles and advertise based off keywords they have used, effectively reaching their target audience, who happens to be the younger generation most frequently. Pop-ups have even picked up the online informal language that teenagers have created. It is becoming more and more ingrained in all written text. Everyone wants to benefit off this large audience that is logging online.
Television is following the teenage-lead revolution that online advertising has switched to as well. Shows targeting the teenage audience such as Family Guy and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are getting web wise by offering their episodes free online at sites like Hulu, as long as viewers sit through the advertisements that pay for it. The sites use minimal amounts of text, as to keep viewers' attention. They have taken on the new type of writing that the Internet has unveiled. "Like newspapers, radio, and television before, the method of raising revenue online that becomes most dominant will be the one that proves most effective for the networks ad is most palatable for Internet users. Some television shows have web sites that allow you to play a clip for free once you view an advertisement that runs before the clip you're interested in" (Advertising and Online Videos). Television is getting web-wise with advertisements paying for it. It is beginning to emulate actual television, with just the minimum amount of text.. Money is being exchanged through this trade off, but advertising is not the only economic gain to be made off this Internet writing revolution however.
As people make the switch to the web-wise world, computer sales will rise as will Internet providers. These products provide unlimited text exchanges through the net. It is being ingrained in society as laptops are basically attached to every college student. It is trendy for companies to be web-wise and free wi-fi is available in many establishments, like Starbucks. Online writing is very much more convenient and attainable due to these changes. For those who can't afford a laptop, Internet cafes will become more popular in the US, much like it already has in the rest of the world. Everyone is catching the drift of the web-wise revolution lead by teenagers constantly exchanging text. Although it seems to run so smoothly, regulation must be integrated to keep the order online.
As print media follows the young generation and switches over to the web, publication must inevitably follow. There is no limit to the amount of information being posted on the web which makes it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Sabotage is becoming an issue when there is no limit to who can write for things such as wikis. Hacking is also problematic when money is being exchanged over the web. Readers may be more quick to question the validity of online news rather than print news because of this. A publishing force is required to keep the peace on the web.
As books and newspapers switch to the web they are given the option of making viewers pay to see their content, or use advertisement to pay for it. Something has to be introduced to ease print into the online world more smoothly. "Connections across media, entertainment, advertising, and commerce will become stronger with future margins going to a new breed of 'digital media titans.' These companies may not come from the traditional value chain, they will be far more aggressive than existing players" (The Future of the Internet II). Publishing enterprises will emerge to check information being posted on websites to ensure the content is valid. This secures a definite realm for strictly formal writing online, separate from the informal sea of text available. Formal written word will not be lost in the switch to online. The language the youth has created will not be in the publishing realm of the online world. The professional, formal writing and the new, informal style of writing will coexist in the online world.
As teens are currently on the forefront of the journey to the World Wide Web, things are going to change drastically. Every so often generations will be left behind. New technologies will emerge. More variety in online writing will come into play. More conflict is inevitable between the professional and informal text in the online world. A whole new slew of teenagers will be cast into the front lines of the Internet revolution.
1 comment:
The first sentence doesn’t quite make sense.
I like the hand-on-mouse phrase. And web-wise. Although the fourth paragraph from the bottom uses it four times, which is a bit much.
Intro paragraph tends to skip to a bunch of different topics.
Texting/informal language is nothing new, but you get to the fusing, which is interesting, later in the paragraph. But what will happen in the future?
Good hyperlinks, good sources. Although technically you should drop the parenthesis and just hyperlink in the introduction to each quote (and BTW, your quotes are marooned quotes, you don’t introduce them, which would the perfect spot to hyperlink from). Example: NPR says, “ X Y and Z.”
Very smart, diction-high writing. Good prose, except a few sentences where it gets a bit confusing.
Shouldn’t the publication and advertising paragraph go next to the Journalism and magazine paragraph? Because right now they’re separated by the trio of school paragraphs.
I don’t recognize the unifying, singular idea holding together all the paragraphs. At points, the essay gets a bit listy, as you march through the mediums that electronic writing impacts, but sometimes even this gets off topic with the advertising and television – seems only tangentially related to writing.
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