I’m feeling like those monks who transcribed books until Gutenberg came along. Newspapers are on their deathbed. Dead magazines litter our libraries. Public dialogue is soundbite-driven – or drivel.
After reading story after story about the dominance of mobile media, I finally took a look at my blog readership stats. [Don’t worry, I don’t know who you are, only Saint Zuckerberg knows that.] 95% of you see my stuff on your mobile devices, most of which are I-phones. Damn, not only do I prefer the large screen of my desktop [though I’ll compromise down to my laptop], but I use an Android, as well.
- Is there hope for long-form writing? (That’s anything longer than 200 bullet-pointed words.)
- Does subtlety have a future?
- Can irony exist in an ignorant society?
- Is there a place for photos that really pop when you see them on a large screen?
- Do people read books or go to galleries anymore?
I’m not a Luddite.
Yet.
I do everything on my iPhone & rarely on my tablet: no more desktop since XP no longer supported. I read everything on my phone from newspapers to blogs to magazines to books: way more than 200 words; SO CONVENIENT & EASY!!
Ouch! I think that it would be uncomfortable to lay naked upon the forest floor like that, but I can’t say for sure. I’ve never tried it. No immediate plans to do so either; it’s not on my bucket list.
I waffle between checking e-mails on my mobile devise and laptop, however I definitely prefer viewing pictures on the larger screen. My desktop computer is extinct.
I love to read. My mother read stories to me as child and I continued the tradition with my children and grandchildren. I’ve just started reading Olive Ketteridge. The author’s voice reminds me of John Cheever. Both are gifted storytellers. I’m reading the book on my Kindle, though, rather than a hardcopy. Oh well.
I learned a new word – Luddite. Thanks. I initially consulted Dr. Google, but I wasn’t satisfied with the definition. Therefore, I got off my duff, ambled to my home library, and consulted my trusted friend, The New ‘Shorter’ Oxford English Dictionary. On page 1641, I learned that the term ‘luddite’ may have originated from Ned Lud, an insane person that destroyed two stocking-frames, circa 1779. Three decades later, the English noun and adjective ‘luddite’ was coined to describe a member of the bands of English artisans who rioted from 1811-1816 against mechanization and destroyed machinery. In the twentieth century, the definition was broadened to describe a person opposed to increased industrialization or the introduction of new technology, especially into a place of work. Thank you Oxford dictionary and thank you Jim!
Thank you! And your next assignment? See what people sabot-wearing people did many years ago. I understand the appeal of Kindle and its cousins, but still prefer to travel with things that don’t need recharging and won’t create emotional/financial problems if they get lost or soaked.
I confess. I’m a Luddite. I don’t have a smart phone; I have a big, beautiful MAC. I don’t have a Kindle; I still buy and read real books. And I still subscribe to magazines and a newspaper.
…i’ve always known i’d spend my life “behind the times”. the most recent proof was my refusal to watch motion pictures on a screen the size of a postage stamp with tin-can quality audio. (i can also walk from one place to another without having to worry about falling into a hole because i’m looking at the piece of plastic in my hand.)
I read your blog on my laptop, Jim. I don’t even have a smartphone! And…what’s better, I don’t even care how out of it I am.
And here’s another sign of the future:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/27/look-whos-swiping-now-6-month-old-babies-are-using-smartphones-study-says/?tid=hp_mm&hpid=z4
Well, I still like my old XP desktop & enjoy its larger size. And it is still functioning fine!
Oh & I still enjoy reading a real book & turning the pages!