Reflection #1: Literature in the Digital Age

Written By: Cleo Cuizon

Book Used for Photos: "Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful" By Arwen Elys Dayton

Like oil and water, literature in the technological society could bring initial thoughts of incompatibility. We perceive the literary world in print, where countless books timeless in their influential themes displays their prominent charm on pages of paper. On the other hand, the digital part of the world strives for efficiency, providing innovative methods for the world to live in technological advancement. When placing their features in one era, it may seem impossible to envision its consistency. However, milestones in modern society inevitably dispel this notion. Ironically, this blog in itself could count as proof. But through these instances, how could it have influenced my perception of literature in today’s age of literary culture? How did its consistent prominence help me realize its true essence amid a world that aspires anything other than paper?

Literature and Technology, are they entirely different?

Literature is often associated with books since literary works appear in the art of writing and have been prominent throughout humanity’s existence. Commonly embodied in pages bundled, compressed, and inked to animate the insights of its creator, this long-carried tradition encapsulates the prestigious identity of literature. Meanwhile, the digital age concretizes technological innovation. To manifest a society that heavily relies on electronic efficiencies includes the usage of reading. Such aspects, like social media, influenced our approach to digesting information — a society that expects fast, convenient, and perspicuous concepts. In a world that moves swiftly, one would anticipate the same for our reading materials.

And through this concept appears another significant factor in reading strategies. The most apparent difference between reading on print and electronic devices heavily relies on a sensory idea. An interview by Metzger Gaundenz shares a similar thought from Philip Schweighauser regarding reading books:

“Whenever we hold a book in our hands, we feel its size, its weight, and the quality of paper that is used. Thus, for many readers out there, it still makes a great difference whether they read a paperback or a hardback, a print-on-demand book or a collector’s edition. Books also have a powerful visual quality to them…And yes, every book has an individual smell.” (Schweighauser)

The following description from Schweighauser articulates the exact conception of my experiences; Although reading becomes an intuitive process that human conducts in their daily lives, to delve into more profound theories and manifest such insight distinguishes the impact emitted between printed and virtual materials. I would want to clarify that I genuinely appreciate the efficiency technology brought to the world of literature, but we can emphasize this cognition later. Schweighauser’s remark is something that I powerfully resonate with; the therapeutic crisp when flipping pages, the alluring whiff of scent, and gazing through the ink tattooed against a fabric of carefully cut wood, all influence a factor each reader needs to immerse into a new world.

But engaging with the digital methods of reading strategies should be considered while living in a technological society. A digitally dominant world has provided beneficial outcomes to the literary world, which I have utilized during my years of learning. And such benefits do not fall short of their competency.

“Digital Humanities”

In its many milestones, technology offered literature to preserve its profundity while simultaneously renovating its form to adapt to the digital world. And one prominent example is the emergence of E-books. Electronic books became the new face of the literature, where access to literary resources becomes as quick and accessible as any electronic device transpires— a resource that appears with just a push of a button. With it being the next major trend, many factors traditional to the literary world gradually change. For instance, since E-books “enhance mobility and [conserves] space,” readers today would not consider buying a bookshelf because they can store hundreds of stories within a portable device (Schweighauser). This fundamental evolution contributed to the literary community to develop another type of reader, the distant reader (Schweighauser). Compared to close readers who analyze “individual literary text with the utmost precision,” distant readers decipher vast databases of literary works to “discover large-scale developments in literary history and patterns that transcend national boundaries.” (Schweighauser).

The existence of E-books is an invention that I am eternally grateful for. While pursuing my English major, it was surprisingly accessible to search and retrieve reading materials through the Internet, online library portals, and virtual bookstores while pursuing an online degree at Southern New Hampshire University. Keep in mind that I come from the Northern Marianas Islands; it would have been strenuous to run to bookstores or libraries to find specific textbooks for each course, let alone wait for shipment, which usually takes weeks.

Such efficiency opens other opportunities, like Bookstagram (Instagram) and Instapoetry, that create a new breed of literary writers using today’s generational influences while preserving the principles literature provides for humanity. I have researched countless examples on Instagram and other apps to understand their fundamental influence on young readers. One notable feature of Bookstagrammers is the aesthetically pleasing collages of books while providing a brief caption of their experiences and reviews for that specific story. Instapoets provides that same theme of aestheticism, but through a writer’s purpose to invent the content for its audience (including Bookstagrammers) to romanticize. Although the profundity that would perceive in traditional literature is slightly absent through these contents, I deeply admire one principle they hold dear to literature’s essence—to remind humanity that creativity is our significant power and a critical aspect of understanding one’s humanness.

Conclusion

While concepts prove technology and literature’s possible compatibility, I then contemplate how their coexistence became the sole purpose of this blog. To realize how literature continues to thrive beyond the printed, I ascertain that I still have many lessons to learn despite providing knowledge in return. I still use digital books since its more sustainable and affordable. But a part of me continues to hold printed reading materials with reverence due to its quality. I do not necessarily mean to approach with a sense of gatekeeping; but learning to fully embrace the digital process of reading may mandate a lot of compromising, in which I am open to do so. Literature today may not be as worldly and profound as Mary Shelly or Franz Kafka, but their representation is notable for preserving society’s acknowledgment of the humanities. And through my blog, I will be obligated to share the literary world’s past, present, and future masterpieces, all claiming equal value to my attention. Like the Renaissance and Romantic periods, today’s era has their authenticity that deserves equal attention and respect that we have analyzed from our predecessors. And this blog will openly advocate that effort.

Works Cited:

Schweighauser, Philip. Interviewed by Metzger Gaundenz, FutureLearn, University of Basel, 06 Mar.2017, https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/how-do-we-read-literature-in-the-digital-age, Accessed 27 Jun. 2022.