E-mail, Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms: The New Letter? Essay

E-mail, Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms: The New Letter? Personal communication over distance used to be laborious – considerable physical impediments slowed the process. In the 1800’s, an aristocratic gentlemen hand-penned a letter with a quill pen and bottled ink, sealed the envelope with melted wax, and sent a footman to hand-deliver the missive to his faraway love; in the midst of battle, foot-soldiers ran relays across hostile territories, rushing battle plans to waiting troops; news of the California gold rush galloped across America by horseback. Even our modern postal service takes at least a day – with numerous people, and ground and air transportation involved – to move a letter from point A to point B. In years past, knowing a personal letter could take weeks to reach its recipient increased its significance. The writer thoughtfully chose paper, pen and ink, taking time to consider the message. Guided by historically-evolved etiquette and a sense of social propriety, he created an artful object by combining written thoughts with an individualized medium that reflected personal style (Landow 221). Sherry Turkle writes in Virtuality and Its Discontents â€Å"the (letter bears) the trace of the physical body of the person who sen(ds) it† (481). A written letter has meaningful form and content. You know the recipient either personally or by public reputation, and you know their residence or workplace. Enter the personal computer: today, a dude clicks away, instant-messaging his favorite chick; complicated war strategies are instantly e-mailed across secure computer networks; chat rooms create never-ending global cocktail parties. Two PC’s with Internet connections equal instant communication, instant gr... ...igital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 62-74. Bob Dylan Website. www.bobdylan.com. Assessed 1 August 2004 Landow, G. â€Å"Twenty Minutes into the Future, or How Are We Moving Beyond the Book?† 1996. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 214-226. Stevens, M. â€Å"Complex Seeing: A New Form.† 1998. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 418-442. Tribble, Evelyn B. and Trubek, A. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. New York: Longman, 2003 Turkle, S. â€Å"Virtuality and Its Discontents.† 1995. . Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 477-499. E-mail, Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms: The New Letter? Essay E-mail, Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms: The New Letter? Personal communication over distance used to be laborious – considerable physical impediments slowed the process. In the 1800’s, an aristocratic gentlemen hand-penned a letter with a quill pen and bottled ink, sealed the envelope with melted wax, and sent a footman to hand-deliver the missive to his faraway love; in the midst of battle, foot-soldiers ran relays across hostile territories, rushing battle plans to waiting troops; news of the California gold rush galloped across America by horseback. Even our modern postal service takes at least a day – with numerous people, and ground and air transportation involved – to move a letter from point A to point B. In years past, knowing a personal letter could take weeks to reach its recipient increased its significance. The writer thoughtfully chose paper, pen and ink, taking time to consider the message. Guided by historically-evolved etiquette and a sense of social propriety, he created an artful object by combining written thoughts with an individualized medium that reflected personal style (Landow 221). Sherry Turkle writes in Virtuality and Its Discontents â€Å"the (letter bears) the trace of the physical body of the person who sen(ds) it† (481). A written letter has meaningful form and content. You know the recipient either personally or by public reputation, and you know their residence or workplace. Enter the personal computer: today, a dude clicks away, instant-messaging his favorite chick; complicated war strategies are instantly e-mailed across secure computer networks; chat rooms create never-ending global cocktail parties. Two PC’s with Internet connections equal instant communication, instant gr... ...igital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 62-74. Bob Dylan Website. www.bobdylan.com. Assessed 1 August 2004 Landow, G. â€Å"Twenty Minutes into the Future, or How Are We Moving Beyond the Book?† 1996. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 214-226. Stevens, M. â€Å"Complex Seeing: A New Form.† 1998. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 418-442. Tribble, Evelyn B. and Trubek, A. Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. New York: Longman, 2003 Turkle, S. â€Å"Virtuality and Its Discontents.† 1995. . Writing Material: Readings from Plato to the Digital Age. Ed. Evelyn B. Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 477-499.