The Written Word Still Has Value in the Video Age

The Information Age did not begin with the invention of the digital computer in 1938.  It began with the invention of the printing press in 1440.  Since then, the written word has had a huge impact on human history.  It has survived the rise of electronic communications centuries later which began with the telegraph in 1839 and then radio, television, and the Internet.  For decades, newspapers had several advantages over TV news and only in the past fifteen or twenty years have newspapers become a dying breed.  Actually, newspapers are alive and well.  They just aren’t really “papers.”  They are digital.  Now any bit of information is literally in the palm of our hands in a device that used to be only for talking to people by voice.  I shudder to think what’s next.

            Here is a random fact.  TikTok, which has well over 100 million users worldwide, relies completely on video.  I just thought I would throw that out there.

            It is a common practice among parents to limit their children’s “screen time.”  They might make exception for dedicated e-reader devices and book apps on other devices.  I love the convenience and flexibility of iBooks and Kindle on my iPad.  I strongly prefer to read books on a tablet and wonder why some people read books on their cell phones, even if it is one of the larger phones.  E-books give provides the same mental exercise as traditional paper books.  E-books satisfy all the needs and wants of book readers except those who strongly prefer the look and feel of paper.  Dark mode is better for use at night because studies show that it is easier for users to sleep at night if they have not been exposed to bright screen background.

            I still regard reading as an essential part of any child’s education.  Let me use an example.  A high school kid might get an assignment to watch a TV movie about Abraham Lincoln getting this country through the Civil War instead of reading it in their American history textbook or reading a book that is about Lincoln’s presidency.  What is wrong with the TV movie?  It is still the same compelling story.  But it is reading assignments that force students to interpret words.  This gives the brain exercise.  Some people actually prefer to use their own imagination instead of the visualizations being dictated to them by the TV.

            Please don’t misunderstand me.  Video can bring information and stories to life in ways that no other medium can.  Just remember this.  A movie producer has to visualize a story before filming it.