Sunday, March 30, 2008

Text

This piece is similar in theme to the Cell Phones bit a post or two ago. This piece is meant to be read as a future perspective concerning communication.

There was a time in our society, as you know, when the arrangement of our heads and necks were much different than they are today. The concept of face to face anything no longer exists as it is not necessary. Our heads hang slack, slumped with our chins always buried in our chests. Our eyes constantly stare downwards, but not at the ground. To watch the earth below one’s feet is taboo, only an uncultured beast of a man would even consider allowing his own eyes to orient himself. Our heads hang and our eyes watch as our faces, fixated on the devices in our hands, remain ever still. The display presents to the minds inside our lopsided heads any information needed. A section of the screen is always dedicated to displaying a GPS device, to see where one is going of course, as well as sections for news, entertainment, communication, and other various things. And holding this device are hands much larger then you may be accustomed to. Generation after generation of constant use during every waking hour has caused us to develop wondrously large hands with defined articulate fingers which are always on the move. The fingers are constantly tap, tap, tapping away. We are, of course, talking to one another. There is always someone to talk to, and always something that needs to be said so our fingers never cease their movement. I suppose this wording may be confusing, considering our concept of “saying” differs. You still use vibrations, moving air. The spoken word is untrustworthy. When one speaks with internal vocal chords, the vibrations emitted are not precise. Grammatical errors exist and time is wasted as meaningless topics are expounded upon. As discussion by means of text alone spread throughout society as the accepted norm, communication became simpler, faster, and more convenient. Language as a whole has become streamlined. Periods have been removed from the standards of writing, as have the spaces in between words. The messages we receive are simply lines of characters followed by the name of the sender. Truly I am unsure as to the reasoning behind this concept of verbal communication. Our vocal chords have become like the vermiform appendix, an organ which once had a use but is meaningless in our current society. Even if one would have the absurd notion to once again create these ancient vibrations, we could not. The inner workings of our throats have become withered and useless. They serve merely as a connection between the head and the body. It is a flesh tube used to transport food to our insides and to send electrical signals to our fingers to continue the constant tap, tap, tapping away.

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