Journal #9

Being a writer in the 21^st century carries different meaning than being a writer in the 18^th century. First of all, much of the technology that we use today to compose our writing was not yet invented. To write, one also had to be literate and in the 18^th century that was mostly the elite and upper classes. Writing was a formal affair in the 18^th century due to the nature of the writers. Now, in the 21^st century, technological advances and a wider range of education available have enabled anyone to write. Writing has grown to consist of not only putting pen to paper but also typed writing using the latest technology. To be a writer now also means that technological tools like tagging promote collaboration in writing.

Digital technologies certainly have allowed new ways of composing and have also allowed for informal and non-professional writing. Blogging has become a prevalent form of writing recently, afforded by digital technologies and Web 2.0. Blogs allowed people of all walks of life to share in the opportunities of writing and composing. Writing can now be considered unpublished work about almost anything.

In Lessig’s “RW, Revived,” the idea is presented that citing well-respected authors can strengthen one’s argument by making a point that your words alone cannot make. As Simone pointed out in her journal, any writer is afforded the right to cite another writer using proper citations through our democratic society. However, this is often taken for granted by writers today and in other forms of media like videos and music, this democratic right is not shared. I agree that the precautions followed for obtaining permission to use another’s work should be reevaluated due to the new democratic nature of every form of expression.