Digital forms of text keep up with the times because they are instant. New sites and content are created as needed, while those that are outdated fade in to the background or are removed from the web completely. As Weinberger points out, "some [sites] are likely to have vanished in the time it takes to bring this book to print" (130). Indeed, much of this book seems behind the times and outdated, with many references to articles and sites 2006 and prior. Take for example, his discussion of Friendster (156).
I was a bit shocked when this text mentioned the social networking site, Friendster, as I had an account there when I was a freshman in high school in 2002. Before the end of that year, everyone who was anyone was on myspace, and now the most popular (and the best) social networking site is facebook. I had to click over to friendster just out of curiosity if the site still existed - and it does! But it has certainly grown up from how I remember it, or how Weinberger describes it.
If digital text forms meet the need of our gotta-have-it-right-now society, how much longer will we be relying on printed text to meet our needs for information and communication? How much longer will we be giving control to editors and marketers about what information we see and what information we want to see? I think I will definitely see the decline of printed text in my lifetime, and am curious if everything will switch over to digital format. But if that does happen, how will we keep record of those things that disappear in to the background of cyberspace?
It's an interesting question, but I really don't think printed text will ever go completely away. I can't use a floppy disk for anything but a coaster, but I can still open up my 1830 edition of the complete works of Robert Burns and read "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" with ease.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that a printed text has a simplicity inherent in its form that is hard to replicate. What I worry about more than anything else is that quality will be a thing of the past. Think of the difference between a pizza cooked in an oven and a microwave. Sometimes things are just worth more effort, and I think tat print publishing with all of its hoops does keep writing to a standard that is higher than most websites.
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