In Dennis Baron’s article “From Pencil’s to Pixels” he describes computers as our newest writing technology. I’d never considered writing to be one of a computer’s primary functions, but this made me reflect on my struggle with accepting computers the ways that others did. I grew up among peers that quickly took to the computers for connecting on social media or exploring the weird parts of the web. I never really understood the appeal, so I only ever used computers when I needed to.
I didn’t begin to familiarize myself with the capabilities of a computer until high school. I went to a “technologically advanced” high school which meant that laptops (provided by the school) were required. With a site similar to D2L, most assignments were posted online, and our computers were programmed with ebooks and features that were intended to improve the learning experience. Most of the time I reached for pen and paper over my laptop, but I realize now what a huge disadvantage I would have been at without one. I had the luxury to choose between handwriting or typing. Computers are devices that seem impractical for us to live without, and yet people do. Despite my desire to live in a pen-and-paper world, I’ve come to accept computers as our modern mode of communication.
