As a writer, I’ve always been incredible particular about the writing utensils that I use. My favorite pencils growing up where the Ticonderoga #2 wooden pencils. Nowadays, I use Pilot G-2, and more specifically .07. I also refuse to loan them to anyone, because I loathe when people don’t return my pens. I was somewhat surprised how reading through “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology” made me more considerate of how I assume pencils and pens are just “natural” means of writing. Baron writes that “The engineer Henry Petroski (1990) portrays the development of the wood-cased pencil as a paradigm of the engineering process, hinging on the solution of two essential problems: finding the correct blend of graphite and clay so that the “lead” is not too soft or too brittle; and getting the lead into the cedar wood case so that it doesn’t break when the point is sharpened or when pressure is applied during use.” (4) I’ve seldom thought of how complex it would be to construct pencils, especially without the means of modern technology. The essential form of a pencil was just the “natural” way that one would go about creating and using a writing utensil of its kind. However, Baron obviously has complicated my understanding of that notion.
I’m also intrigued by how we’ve socialized certain writing technologies for certain tasks. As a student attending public elementary, middle, and high school, it was enforced and expected that students would use pencils for all their work. I was chastised by teachers several times for using pens on homework or assignments. This was obviously a way of encouraging students to use a writing technology that was easily erasable, and therefore allowed for mistakes and corrections. However, I have not used a pencil since I graduated. I have grown very particular about using pens and loathe the smudges that pencils leave and their constant need to be sharpened. My usage of pens is also more acceptable, because I rarely turn in handwritten work anymore. Everything I write nowadays is typed on my computer before I turn it in. This means that the writing technology that I use is less critical than it was when I was younger. The writing utensils that I use for different tasks and in different contexts was inherently socialized, especially through the capabilities and limitations of the writing technology.
I remember how in grade school we had a Q&A with the “big kids” from higher grades. We were all amazed because they were allowed to use pens instead of pencils and we asked this one kid which was better, pens or pencils? It was this really big deal, because using a pen, something that was permanent, was a sign of adulthood. However, you still had to use pencils in math class, because it was expected that you might get something wrong. So, yeah. It really is a socialized thing.