Communication in the Digital Age

Survival of the fittest is the core of the Darwinian theory. This theory not only holds true in our environment but applies to our culture as well. As a society, we utilize technology daily whether it be a laptop, iPod, cell phone, or navigation system. We have seen different forms of all of the above recycled, improved and reused. As our society evolves, more technologies are created to enhance existing forms communication. Past developments are used as a platform for new innovations that help us to function better and more productively. In his book, “Orality and Literacy”, Walter J. Ong exemplifies the way in which new mediums reinforce and transform the old. Through the transgression from oral culture to literate cultures, he explains that you can have orality without writing, but you cannot have writing with out orality. The rise of new technologies and fall of older technologies throughout history reveal a pattern supporting Ong’s theory that the technology, which is most likely to meet the needs of society is most likely to survive. Ong emphasizes the shift from oral cultures to literate cultures to show how newer technologies are built from older ones. One of Ong’s examples is that the invention of printing was made to reinforce and imitate the act and structure of writing. The invention of print was the greatest accomplishment since literacy, its functions surpassed those of writing and were extremely beneficial, especially for businesses tending to the consumer. Not only did print increase accuracy and productivity while minimizing errors, it also transformed the duplication process from being tedious and time consuming to quick and efficient. Although Ong presents printing as the newest and most innovative technology of his time, it is considered dated and a thing of the past in today’s culture. Paper is frequently used in our society but has lost much of its purpose with the advent of newer technologies that reduce their use of paper.