Interesting Topic

When i reflect on all that we've looked at in this class, there are many interesting topics. From the communication circuit to map content distortion, each has caused me to take a deeper look at the world of language texts and technology. But the topic that stuck the most with me the evolution of literature from print to electronic.

This particular topic was covered in several of the readings and assignments, and hits particularly close to home as i am an avid reader and there has been a boon of e-books and e-readers recently. The beginning of Haye's "The Republic of ABC: Alphabetizing Americans, 1750-1850", was very affective in furthering my understanding of the impact of media evolution by proposing a what-if situation between monks concerning the shift from hand written books to printed books. By starting the reading this way i learned that the shift from one type of literature to another had a deeper meaning and significance than i had originally thought. the introduction of the printing press lead to greater availability of book and more freedom for those who wished to express their thoughts and ides through text.  The creation and expansion of the Internet and digital culture was a reflection of past technological advances, allowing for a nearly universal exchange of ideas.

Throughout the readings i have found many correlations between printing presses and digital media, such as piracy and fixity. Given unlimited time and resources i believe that i would find more correlations between past and present. i would focus more on the controversies that the shifts  in technology had in their respective times, and use evidence from each to make some educated guesses about what the future may hold. As we grow in technology and as a culture, so to must our literature evolve with the times. I find the topic of literary evolution fascinating and am interested to see how will develop.