Brett Smith writes about “the potential for our society (and others as technology becomes more accessible around the world) to become a “140 characters or less” society” in Is long 4m wrtng ded? Ur gonna b srprzed., on his blog creative. for good. This is a nod to Twitter and the character limit. In the post, Brett highlights the debate surrounding the impact of technology on writing abilities, especially those of today’s youth.
Andrea Lunsford, a professor at Stanford, completed a project called the Stanford Study of Writing. In Wired Magazine, Clive Thompson indicates that Lunsford thinks “we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greek civilization”. Lunsford believes that technology isn’t causing a decline in writing ability. In fact, she believes that technology is “reviving it—and pushing our literacy in bold new directions.”
I won’t argue with Lunsford’s assertion that this generation writes far more than any other before them. However, it is important to note that the issue is not just about writing and getting a point across. It is about whether or not they are writing in long form, and using well-constructed, complete sentences. In my experience, the answer would be no, they are not. In an age when writing takes the form of tweets, text messages, and emails, long form writing is typically not required. In those instances where it is required, I don’t see the type of responses which would warrant a “yes”.
I believe that a larger issue is whether or not today’s youth choose to write in 140 characters or less. I often see license plates, signs, and emails utilizing an abbreviated version of writing. We have become a society of so many conveniences and opportunities to do things faster, that the youth very seldom choose the longer way, if at all.
Although I believe that there may be validity to the argument that today’s youth are writing more than those before them, and the assertion that their writing skills may not have declined at all, I also believe that it is a matter of choice. If not required to write in long form, I believe that most will choose not to write in long form. That then raises the ongoing concern that the skill or ability may decline in the future. If not practiced, will it eventually be lost?
