Thoughts on Cyberwriter’s Tale

In the article “Why technology matters to writing: A cyberwriter’s tale” by Jim Porter details his experience with writing: from using pencils to computers. He recalls how in his youth penmanship was valued. “The quality of handwriting mattered.”(376) In school, he practiced his letters carefully; both print and script, because “Sloppy penmanship revealed an undisciplined education.”(376) Penmanship becomes an extant of the individual: revealing the persona of the writer. Good penmanship also allowed readers of the text to be able to read the materials and therefore communicate ideas. Mistakes on writing couldn’t be erased. It became a permanent feature of the page revealing the weakness a writer may have.
Porter’s journey with a type writer is similar to writing with a pencil, thou the focus shifted from penmanship to focusing on ideas. “I used longhand for drafting, and used the typewriter as a tool for revision and editing.”(378) The author was still subjected to writing and rewriting drafts in order to come to the final draft. The introduction of the computer and word processing programming changed the writers’ relationship with the writing process. No longer is there a need for retyping, and with the introduction of networking technology, the writing process is forever changed.
Writing is transformed from a private action to a public one. Before the computer, writing was limited to the writer and the readers it reached from an institution, such as a publishing company. The internet opens new doors for the writer through its virtual world. It allows the writer to access readers in a more dynamic environment, such as receiving comments from its readers and the ability to add media to enrich the reading experience. If we look at our class blog as an extension of the article, we can understand how networking and the internet has changed writing and the spread of ideas. In our other classes, when we share our opinions or reflect on an article, the idea is only shared between the professor and the student. The rest of the students and their ideas are missing in the class environment. Writing has changed because of technology. It is no longer focused on the shape, size or style of penmanship but rather it concentrates on the ideas the writer is sharing with the readers.
Porter brings up the concept of cyborgs and cyberwriters. Dystopian view of technology is “Machines threaten our freedom and identity or damage our writing process.”(387) This grim view is shared by humanist, while posthumanists share a more optimistic view of humans and their relationship to technology. Technology becomes an extension of us, “’we are all …cyborgs.’”(387)
With every new technology there are the pros and cons. It is up to us to use it for good. The pencil and pen was once considered new technology, revolutionized the way people wrote and expressed their ideas. The quail had to be repeatedly dipped in ink and therefore slowed down the expression of ideas. The pen allowed for continues flow of ink and ideas. Obviously comparing the pen to the opportunities opened up by computers would be silly, but on the basic level of sharing of ideas they both changed writing.
The new generation has a completely different view of technology. Porter does touch on this when he talks about his son. “The challenge for my son will be moving from a multimedia video game culture to seeing the computer as a tool for textual production.”(389) The new generation is born into technology and their experiences in writing is very different from the previous generation. For them, penmanship is irrelevant because of the use of computers. Technology has changed our culture so much that the computer is no longer a means to write or research. For example when I was in junior high school (1996-1999), computers and dial-up internet was found in students homes. Dial up internet really limited how much of the internet we could use. We used it mainly for typing up our projects and doing research. With the introduction of faster internet and computers, the upcoming generations will have access to newer technology and points of view.