Is Screenless Internet the Future of Writing?
June 18, 2019
It’s hard to remember a time when computers were tied to dial-up land-lines, and cell phones were devices used solely for the purpose of making calls. In fact, it seems that nowadays, everywhere you look, people are shackled to their internet-enabled cell phones, tablets, or laptops.
With ever-evolving technology, the dream of working remotely has become more and more accessible to everyday people. Even some doctors are foregoing their normal office visits with patients, and, instead, adopting a telemedicine method of diagnosing and treating minor illnesses and injuries.
As technology continues to advance, though, we have to wonder what the future will look like for the writing profession.
The answer to that question may be found in this great article from the New York Times. In the article, columnist Farhad Manjoo, details how he stumbled upon a new way of writing through speech. Manjoo explains how he initially started recording random thoughts and ideas when he was out and about, using a cloud-connected recording app on his phone. Soon, those short, random thoughts turned into full sentences, paragraphs, and column outlines.
Manjoo realized that through a few cheap apps and transcription programs, he was able to free himself from sitting down and physically writing out his columns. Instead, he spends two or three mornings a week walking around town, chatting with himself and writing his columns through speech.
While this practice may seem strange to some, it definitely poses questions about how necessary a physical device or screen is to the livelihood of a writer, and whether the future may, indeed, become virtually screenless.
