Old vs. New, The Final Showdown Pt. 2: Revenge of the Printed Word.

In part two of my defence of the old guard of information, the printed word, I think it’s necessary to discuss the fact of time vs. space mediums. As we see with the craze surrounding 2012, or even in the past with the Y2K crisis, we as a society are obsessed with our destruction. We are fascinated by old and dead cultures, and as well consistently hypothesize the end of our own. Another inherent aspect of the human condition is the need to be immortal. We long to be remembered past our time, to have a legacy for others to know about. To be forgotten many hold is a fate worse than any death can bring and yet some still state that an information system such as digital media is the way of the future. While I love technology, and surround myself with it, I understand that it cannot last. Internet pages die when servers shut down, the information stored in CD’s corrupt as time progress or if a slight scratch is created. While I know books cannot last forever as they succumb to their own form of data corruption, moisture and mould, old media has inherently a much larger lifespan then new media. This is evident with the dead sea scrolls, some of which have lasted since 150 BCE. In our destruction based society it is impossible that something that may not last as long as the average human lifespan to completely replace old media. In conclusion to this, I’m sure riveting, series I must state that I do not hate new media. I have a love for it that is obscene, but I am merely trying to state that to say that it will completely replace the printed word is to not understand the nature of humanity.

Old vs. New, The Final Showdown Pt. 1

In our increasingly technology based society, it’s easy for some to state that it is the new innovations that will solely lead us into the future. This means that things such as the old media of books, or even magazines or printed photographs will be replaced by the powerhouse that is the internet. I’ve decided to champion the side of the old, and in this two part series I’ll discuss exactly why new media just does not have the ability to replace old media in our lives (and yes I understand the hypocrisy in doing this on a blog). The first issue one must raise is the mere feeling one gains from reading a book or the printed word as opposed to reading off of a screen. It has always been my opinion that when it comes to learning nothing is as good as a amplifier then the actual tactile sense of feeling a page. When you read of the internet, there is no sense of that information, it is merely there and then gone as soon as you travel to a new page. With a book, you see the pages as well as sense the pages. You can highlight, go back to, tear up, rewrite and most importantly appreciate this information. The internet, while one of the most beautiful inventions of our time as well as a source for great amounts of information can never replace a book for the sheer sake that, as humans, we will never accept that transition. With CGI graphics and robotics it is called the uncanny valley, a state where as the technological doppelganger approaches more and more to human likeness, those viewing it begin to become uneasy and experience revulsion. I believe the same occurs with books and the internet; while people may turn to the internet for convenience, I believe that they will inherently turn back towards the printed medium, not only because of the comfort, but because of the sheer unease that new media will provide.