In the article written by Alexander Reid entitled "The Evolution of Writing," he brings up a lot of interesting information that I've never really thought about before. But he goes into great depth to explain the evolution of writing with very complicated and technical terms and ideas that are at times difficult to understand.
An interesting fact I gleamed from the article was about one difference between prehistoric humans and modern humans. Our ancestors had a sort of internalized consciousness, whereas we, as modern humans, have a consciousness that "functions liminally between internal and external cognitive processes and and intelligent works" (23). Our ability to store crucial information outside of ourselves so that we can engage in more complex thoughts and ideas. Whereas our ancestors had to store information in memory and through oral communication, we have the benefit of writing down information and storing it outside of our bodies.
It's fascinating to come to understand that when our ancestors became attached to a social and symbolic way of transferring information, it was when the first modern human consciousness came into existence (30). So, attributing symbolic and abstract value to information through which that same information can be communicated in a social network is the heart of what Reid is trying to point in his article. It's at that key moment where human consciousness takes a great leap forward and it isn't until 15,000 years later until a con
crete writing system is actually created.
Reid says, "The development of symbolic behavior and the invention of formal writing systems create a pattern of exteriorizing cognitive processes that continues with further technological change" (37). As time marches ever onward, we find ourselves with a ever changing world. Technology, for good or ill, moves this world onward. We cannot function without it. It is, however, the newest and most effective way to communicate and as we continue to "exteriorize" our cognitive process as a world-wide society, we come to the understanding that humans aren't too different from one century to the next, only that we find new ways to stretch beyond ourselves.
-MW
In Cynthia Selfe's article "Stories that Speak to Us: Multimodal Literacy Narratives," one of my favorite points that she talks about is when she states "The map of an individual's attempt to become a certain kind of person...is both 'socially embedded, and readable' in the narratives they tell" (2). The idea of identity formation within our own personal narratives is very interesting to me. As a creative writer, I've always believed that my writing is a type of journal. By reading my writing, even if the narrative is about fictional characters and places, people come to know me by what I say, how I say it and even by what I don't say. Narrative plots, as Selfe says, have "transformative power." How we structure our stories can reflect how we structure our lives. That, I believe, is an important insight into how we portray our narratives through interactive media.
In the article, "Gains and Losses: New Forms of Texts, Knowledge, and Learning" by Gunther Kress, my favorite part of the article is the interesting study of differences between publications of pre-internet century and the publications of today. There is an interesting difference between how the authors develop relationships with the readers through their content.
In Ellen Ullman's article, "The Museum of Me," she takes the reader on a sort of tour bus ride to look at the effects the internet has on us as a modern people. The effects, she says, are quite negative and you can see it in the tone of her writing. She brings up the idea that because of the internet the world now revolves around you. This selfish sentiment which the advertisers of the Web back in the 90's pushed on us, she argues, has completely destroyed any idea of social interaction. Whereas people used to go outside and interact with society, culture, and politics (to name a few), now they interact only through screens and computers. The idea is very poignant and has some truth to it.
Smartphones, tablets, smart watches. This is all a type of shift that Ullman did not take into account 10 years ago. Now, people can access the internet whilst going out for a jog in the city. We are on the cusp of augmented reality where playing games, interacting with coworkers, or calling home for the holidays can be done from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection. Whats better is you don't have to be sitting down, hunched in front of a computer screen. I believe that the times are changing and will continue to change. Now, we can revolve around the world.
An interesting fact I gleamed from the article was about one difference between prehistoric humans and modern humans. Our ancestors had a sort of internalized consciousness, whereas we, as modern humans, have a consciousness that "functions liminally between internal and external cognitive processes and and intelligent works" (23). Our ability to store crucial information outside of ourselves so that we can engage in more complex thoughts and ideas. Whereas our ancestors had to store information in memory and through oral communication, we have the benefit of writing down information and storing it outside of our bodies.
Reid says, "The development of symbolic behavior and the invention of formal writing systems create a pattern of exteriorizing cognitive processes that continues with further technological change" (37). As time marches ever onward, we find ourselves with a ever changing world. Technology, for good or ill, moves this world onward. We cannot function without it. It is, however, the newest and most effective way to communicate and as we continue to "exteriorize" our cognitive process as a world-wide society, we come to the understanding that humans aren't too different from one century to the next, only that we find new ways to stretch beyond ourselves.