Rewriting the definition of technology to include writing would not be too much of a special effort, I believe. In fact, most people already consider the movement oral communication to written communication a technological advancement, as evidenced by Goody saying, “Oral communication obviously continues to play a fundamental role after the advent of writing, just as writing continues to be fundamental with the advent of the electronic media.” If you did not include it already, you don’t have to stretch the definition far. Writing is a practical application of Language Arts/English, which fulfills one of the definitions. What really must change, I strongly believe, is people’s conception rather than the definition. People have an idea of technology being cutting-edge, the best and newest tool. Writing is a form of technology that has been adapted and changed over the years from letter to email making it seem like a lost art. It doesn’t seem like the most cutting-edge, but we must realize at one time writing was the best they had. The label of “technology” can be put on most anything. I do agree the definition should be expanded to include writing because it fits what people think of technology. We need to look back and consider the movements which have come before. They could all be called technology by the people who lived in that era. We can’t see it because we are past that point.

Human contact is becoming a lost form of art. Everyday, I have a list of people I must talk to, many with incredibly busy schedules. I must sit down and weigh the pros and cons of emailing them, which is easier, or talking to them face-to-face, which takes more time but reaps other rewards. I would choose to rely on a new definition because it makes me able to call email the replacement for face-to-face interaction (which I probably shouldn’t but that’s another story). The quick development of many technologies has forced us to revisit this issue many times in the last 5 years; and as the field of technology continues to grow, we will be responsible for adding our own different definitions to the mix just as we are now.