A Better Pencil Part I

Personally, I find the lack of art in our penmanship extremely interesting considering how recently we have lost a desire to focus on the artistic elements of our writing as a result of computers. It seems this change has occurred most significantly during the transitioning stages of my parent's generation to my own. When I often compare my mother's handwriting with mine and notice her elegant cursive, I reflect on how my schooling taught me to type in year long classes while cursive was covered in a mere week.

However, it makes sense that an appreciation for beautiful handwriting has withered away. Clearly we write less than we type considering how much longer it takes to physically write something down. And by observing the historical progression of writing tools, from stone to clay to pencils to typewriters to computers, each invention boosts our writing efficiency. We therefore transition to that new technology because it makes communicating easier and we leave the dated method behind with other old inventions.

"Nonetheless, we still fear that the new communication technologies will sap our intellectual strength." While each new technology increases efficiency, it also increases our dependency on complimentary tools and we frequently resort to technological help. Although I no longer have the desire to memorize how to spell words or to know simple multiplication, it causes me to heavily agree with Plato on his point of our memories weakening. Yet my heavy editing and frequent errors will never be uncovered once I submit a typed assignment. The basic teaching of spelling, grammar and calculations seem no longer relevant, and while I have an appreciation for learning this in school, I doubt I will need to hold onto this knowledge. It makes me wonder if schools will stop teaching this material and resort to technological subjects, such as how to build iPhone applications, how to reach a potential customer base online or even how fonts effect content and are perceived by viewers.

Another point to mention is how significant fonts have become. Even as I enter the words, "good handwriting," Google suggests adding "fonts" to the end of my search for better results. "Typography has become a cultural phenomenon, and computer fonts are the new wine." While fonts automatically provide an artistic element to our writing and an aesthetic consistency, I find we still lack creativity unless design is the prompt. For example, teachers request Times New Roman for assignments, which perhaps ties to the past request for cursive handwriting to create a formal appearance. Based on these common requirements, I would hardly consider experimenting with other fonts unless the assignment was actually graded on design. 

While it may seem writing is dying, I believe it will continue to be used. Personally, I prefer writing notes in class because it helps me remember the content better and I don't get distracted by social media, online shopping or interactive games. While I appreciate the latest technology and have noticed schools, jobs and daily activities revolve around computers, I will continue to value writing regardless of my poor penmanship. It shows my individual personality better than any font will ever manage.