The Digital Divide

Technology is growing and so our idea of literacy is also changing. Is there such a thing as the digital divide? How is technology revolutionzing communication? Is texting improving communication?

Not Hearing ≠ No Communication

Whenever I am home, my dad never fails to remind me that, “She [Andrea] cannot hear without those things in your ears”. If you’re wondering what ‘things’ are, he means headphones. And just because I have headphones on, I have an inability to communicate with him. Or that’s what my dad believes. I would argue that I am able to communicate with my headphones, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, I am becoming a part of the digital age where technology is revolutionizing literacy. 

Texting as 'Fingered Speech'

Taking into account the three sources, I agree with John McWhorter’s and Sarah Arroyo’s perspective on technology. Literacy is being transfigured through electracy and texting, both of which are aspects of the digital world. I found McWhorter’s “Txting is Killing Language J/K” video to be compelling. In particular, I like how McWhorter described texting as ‘fingered speech’, because we text others how we speak in-person. I agree with his statement because it’s true from my perspective. I always use 😂 and 🤓 as methods to communicate to my friends or family how I am acting when reading a message. I find myself either laughing internally at the text or by saying something quirky to them which prompts the nerdy emoji to appear. 

Electracy is a Way of Life

Nevertheless, Sarah Arroyo’s perspective on electracy added another element to McWhorter’s idea of communication spreading beyond formal writing. Arroyo mentioned videoacy as being a legitimate form of literacy, which is now being accepted as a form of rhetoric. She described electracy as, “ a way of life, not a set of skills”. As someone who grew up in a digitalized age, I say technology has provided new ways of communicating with others. Since I rely on these new means of communication such as Snapchatting and emojis, electracy is a way I can live my life by connecting with others through digital means. 

Can Selfies Really Improve Self-Esteem?

The Buzzfeed article mentioned how selfies can improve one's self-esteem if it’s in a supportive community, something that I find hard to grasp. As someone who personally does not like to talk selfies and sees how opinionated individuals are on social media, I am a reluctant believer. Although supportive communities may exist on Reddit or Tumblr, I don’t think literacy thrives in these areas as ‘trolls’ exist. These ‘trolls’ are individuals who post insincere comments to try to manipulate others. They are often recognized by their ability to deliberately upset the targeted person. This is where I believe literacy can be undermined by negative aspects of communication, where hurtful messages are being spread.