Print is the Past

            We have come far as a society. From the days of passenger pigeons and typewriters, we have come to a day and age where you can communicate with a person halfway around the world in an instant. Computers replaced typewriters, then with the development of the internet and smartphones, there was no need to print out information; people had everything they could need at the tip of their fingers.  In Joseph A.’s blog post, “Digital World” he provides further evidence that we are past the point in history where we need to print information to get it out to the world. He is correct, and the world should heed his words.

            Print is having an extremely negative effect on our environment. Paper could live on for extremely long periods of time, in tree form. Once trees become paper their life expectancy drastically drops. Then once the information is no longer needed, the paper is discarded, “a person can use their mobile device for many years before upgrading to a newer one” (A). Joseph calls for people to recycle used paper, but if everyone switches to digital, recycling is no longer even needed and therefore the efforts needed to get people to recycle can be redistributed to more pressing needs.

            Digital is also much easier to transport than print; bringing a kindle onto a train is substantially easier than bringing an entire library. While I am not as concerned with annoying the people around me as Joseph seems to be, it is still a valid concern, and gives another advantage to the digital side of this debate.  Joseph also is concerned with the ink that rubs off on one’s hands from newspapers (A). No one wants filth all over their hands, and then inevitably on their clothing, print is dirty.

            Everyone loves to share their interests with those closest to them. If we were stuck in the days of strictly print, it could take hours, possibly weeks to get an interesting article to a friend (A), depending on your vicinity to them. In our current technologically advanced age, a person can email and entire article, or screen-shot a snippet, and send it to a friend instantly. Digital is bringing people together by easing their communications.

            While some people may still enjoy the feel of turning the pages of a new book, or the smell of a freshly printed newspaper (as weird as that may sound to some), their time to enjoy those is coming to a close. Digital is taking over in all aspects of the media, even billboards that were once printed, then laid in the same ways as wallpaper, are being replace by upgraded digital billboards that can cycle through multiple advertisements.  Cancel your magazine and newspaper subscriptions, throw out your book collections, buy a laptop and a tablet, and enjoy all of the above. Wherever you want, whenever you want, digital is here to make your life easier.

Work Cited

A., Joseph. “Digital World.” ENG 101 MD Joseph A. Blogger.com. 29 October 2014. Web 11 November 2014.