Can the written word still unite people?
I think that this question is one that we
should ask often. A lot of the time I react more to something I have read
versus something that I just see online. I think that this is because of how
much effort goes into reading an article or blog about something. When you just
watch a quick YouTube video or clip on Facebook it's easy to feel an emotion
right then and maybe share the video but then move on. However, when you read
something you get an emotional connection to what the author is saying. Also
you can get so much more out of a well written article or piece about any
topic. In a video you can only see and hear what the producer wants you to but
in writing you can infer things and read between the lines.
In our day and age people aren't getting
their news from published works or written articles, they turn on their TVs,
open their laptops, or tune their radio stations in. Now we don't have this
overwhelming amount of knowledge and news being spread through written word.
For that reason I think that it's harder to have the written word still unite
people, it's easier to have the media or movies unite us. While this is the new
norm I don't think it's something we, as a society, should be proud of. I would
love to see the day when news is read and spread through the written word
instead of through media. I think that if this happened we would see a lot more
action-taking place instead of this false sense of action that forms of media
encourage.
When the written word is utilized
effectively I think that it can unite people in many different ways. I can
think of so many things that I've read online that have gotten either a lot of
heat or a lot of praise because of the way it is worded. There is purpose when
you're writing something online, when speaking it's easy to let your words get
away from you. When writing it's hard to post something or say something and
then try to say you didn't mean it. I think that this effort makes the written
word more believable and thus easier to unite behind.
I think that a lot of people do get their news through the written word and not just the media. Just maybe not necessarily through print. Of course a lot of people watch the news, but i'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it is mostly older generations. I could be completely wrong but I think thats right. A lot of people get their news online. Whether its from Facebook or other social media sights that have articles shared on them. Otherwise I think all of your points are really great and I agree with you on what you were saying.
ReplyDeleteYour point about the "false sense of action" that media encourages is really interesting. This is something I've noticed as well. Social media is often used to spread information about various social problems, political campaigns, charitable causes, etc. People will read the articles or watch the videos about it, feel connected to the cause, and then share the article or video with other users. And that's the extent of it. When people share information, it makes them feel like they are making a difference, even though they don't take any real action against the problem. I don't know if going to back to print rather than online news is necessarily the cure for the problem, but I do agree that it is a problem. People feel they can sit behind their computers and change the world. In reality, changing the world requires going out and seeing the world. Not much can be done from the safety of your home.
ReplyDelete