Speech reigns over writing in today’s society. Throughout history there seems to be ebb and flow between which medium is valued more, and which has a bigger role in society. While I personally believe that writing has more contextual value than speech, the spoken word is currently the “superior” means of communication. For the sake of argument, speech resonates within an individual what writing was known to do in the past. It was able to stir up some type of image or passion that could connect with an individual on a deep personal level. The written word still has this impact, but because of how today’s society functions the written word is marginalized in value. It is now the spoken word that is scrutinized and studied more, and a lot of that has to do with the effect of the utilization of new medias by the spoken world.
When it comes to personal communication, the spoken word reigns supreme due to the impacts of different communication tools. Cell phones have come a long way from when they first came out. Before all you had to do was simply punch in numbers and you could call someone on the other end of the line, easy as that. Now there are camera/video recording features, music downloading, emails, game features, and the list goes on. With the advent of the text messaging feature many people have switched to prefer that over making a real phone call. While text messaging may seem like a popular aspect to use on a cell phone, this has in turn given rise to the value placed on the spoken word instead of marginalizing it. Text messages and mobile IMs have replaced the quick two-minute phone conversation that can have the same message relayed by a couple words abbreviated for the cell phone text.
By absorbing that specific aspect of (personal) cell phone communication, it has made it clearer that a phone call is ideally an intimate personal outreach. Instead of sending a quick message inviting groups of people to an event, a personal phone call makes it clear to that person on the receiving end that they really are wanted at this event. There is a value placed on the phone call and the willingness for a verbal outreach because in today’s society, communication is done through the written word.
Emails and memos have a similar effect as text messaging has on communicating with others. Of course it is not possible to keep up with everyone by speaking to them, but the massive amounts of emails sent out on a daily basis have really dulled interpersonal communications in the office. But because of this affect, there is a certain appreciation for taking time out from working or sending more emails to directly talk with fellow workers, bosses, employees, clients, etc. Whether it is about work or about the game from the previous night, the need for human contact is inevitable and necessary. Human connection and personal communication has once again become intimate. Vocal communication personalizes the relationship
The TV and YouTube have to be the spoken word’s godsend. While there are masses and masses of the printed word exposed on the internet, there is a loss of productivity when focusing on reading one article at a time. Our nation’s ability to multi-task permits us to chat, email, and watch videos all day long. The presidential election this year is a prime example of how the spoken word is valued most through countless debates and rallies to convey their ideas and round up voters. Journalists and anchors scrutinize these speeches and debates down to the tiniest chuckle and laugh. The power of the public is extremely strong in our democracy that it forces candidates to rehearse over and over again their practiced responses in these live debates. A quick slip-up and it could prove shaky grounds for you, or even cost you the race. Maybe Andrew Robinson might have been amused by the idea that as much as Thoth hated writing, he would have hated video ten times worse because it further created the non-stop repeatable reminder for all to see (Origins (36).
While I took on the approach that speech was valued more than the written word, I honestly believe that with all the new media outlets available today thanks to technology, it is not so necessary to have a debate on which is “better.” I completely agree with
5 comments:
I like how you connect the increasing use of writing for mundane tasks to a newfound respect for speech, since speech is becoming more specialized and rare (and therefore precious). It makes you think, was speech actually somewhat devalued when it was used more often?
I agree that developments like TV and YouTube contribute greatly to the superiority of speech over writing, but I also think they create new hybrid forms that become hard to even talk about. For instance, how can political soundbites still be considered speech (which has always been essentially ephemeral), when they have a way of enduring for years (e.g., Howard Dean's scream might as well have been written in stone for all the long-lasting effects it had). And as you say, the debates can be analyzed ad nauseum, which used to be something limited to written texts. So, it's like the traditional dichotomy between speech and writing is too restrictive for our modern media environment.
Anyway, great essay--really interesting stuff.
I like your closing paragraph. While I did not write it in my essay, I agree with you on the fact that it is great that we have so many different means to access information. With all of the different and evolving technology it is easy for someone to find their niche in the technological world and access information. Also, if someone misses their nightly news, or forgets to pick up a newspaper, the have different ways to get the information so they are up to date.
I totally agree with your position in this essay. Speech has definitely come to mean more from people over written word especially when it comes to making a phone call rather than sending a quick text. The effectiveness of applications like Youtube is certainly a good example of how powerful the spoken word can be utilized in new media technologies.
Good essay.
I think you made a really good point about speech being better than writing. I especially liked that you touched upon talking to one another being more personal than just texting or emailing. I agree that emailing has dulled offices everywhere, because now, nobody walks a couple feet to send a message or reminder, people just email or text. I feel like this is just making us seem lazy.
I really agree with your argument for speech. It is interesting to think that years ago, writing could somewhat convey what speech always had. With the many styles and personalization, sending a love letter was something special. But if you sent the same thing today by e-mail, most people probably would feel that it did not maintain the same personal value. I think in a way, the value of the written word has decreased and words themselves have become more personal and powerful. Spoken Words can convey emotions and tone which is probably the greatest power words can have.
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