How do you think it will impact society once the masses no longer use computer k

1. 85

   rainsanmartinposted 9 years ago

   How do you think it will impact society once the masses no longer use computer keyboards?
   
   Here is my take: With auto-fill, the prevalence of short hand phrasing, text messaging, and the decline of laptop and PC sales, the general public will lose their command of language. Only content creators or educators will continue this craft. If only the average touch pad users would employ the use of a keyboard dock, only then would the integrity of the written language be potentially preserved by society as a whole. What are your thoughts?
   
   

   replyreport
2. 68

   Rod Marsdenposted 9 years ago

   People have always spoken in a kind of short hand. They are became they're for example. Then with the 19th Century novel the short hand became part of dialogue in novels. Then it became part of the very fabric of the novel. I predict that writing and literature in general will continue to evolve. It will change because of new technology. Whether this is a good or a bad thing who can say. We look back at the original King James bible and find the words quaint and passages somewhat difficult to understand. The same may be true when it comes to someone in the future reading this passage.

   replyreport
   1. 57

      trailrunner7posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I feel that as long as people in the media, such as newscasters and politicians, continue to use interesting words and good grammar, it will raise the bar for the rest of us.  Most people equate language with intellect.

      replyreport
   2. 68

      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You are right trailrunner7. It is also true that the only type of language not up for change is a dead language.

      replyreport
3. 0

   temptor94posted 9 years ago

   I totally agree with you. People have already lost their writing skills in this age of texting and email. Typing comes as close to writing as possible in this modern age. But with the advent of touchpads, we are losing the typing skills too You have hit the nail on the head, the command over English has become poorer in avid texters. The usage of short forms is outrageous!
   
   Consider ROFL GTG TC - this means rolling on floor with laughter, got to go, take care !! Why can't people just type English? Or do we now need to learn a new language short-hand language

   replyreport
   1. 85

      rainsanmartinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The email was once a reasonably thought out paragraph or two. Now with email use on the decline, the new short-hand language is gaining traction. Well composed sentences are a rarity.

      replyreport
4. 68

   RockyMountainMomposted 9 years ago

   I'm biased.  And my biases lead me to share your fears.  I agree with the points in the first response, but in the end, I fear change, spell check algorithms, and human laziness too much to feel assured.  And spell check algorithms paired with swype apps is the downfall of language all on its own.
   
   Alternately, it can be horrible enough at times to make me smile.  The first word my phone had absolutely no guess for was silviculturist.

   replyreport
   1. 57

      trailrunner7posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I actually love spell check, because it would embarrass me to send something spelled incorrectly.  But, I always  make a mental note of the corrected spelling.

      replyreport
   2. 68

      RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      With a real keyboard, I love spell check, too.  My issue with spell check has been the horrible things it has inserted for me (when using a swipe function on a touch screen).

      replyreport
   3. 85

      rainsanmartinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      True, auto-fill can create irrelevant word insertions.   Spell check is good, yet I need to be alert to it's suggestions.

      replyreport
5. 85

   M. T. Dremerposted 9 years ago

   I would be shocked if keyboards ever became obsolete. I know quite a few people who can't stand typing with a touch pad and I'm one of them. For short things, like text messaging or googling, it's tolerable. But for people who have to type a lot (like writers and coders) it will never compare. It's kind of like physical books versus ebooks. People have been predicting the death of physical books for decades, and yet people still buy them over ebooks. Granted, these things may become niche markets, but I don't think they will go obsolete. Which also means there will be a pathway to preserving the language into the future.

   replyreport
   1. 85

      rainsanmartinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think keyboards will be obsolete myself, my prediction however is that the masses will use them drastically less. Only content creators will take advantage of this writing tool, increasing the divide between those who can and can not write.

      replyreport
6. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 9 years ago

   Keyboards have already wiped out handwriting. It used to be that cursive skills were sort of a rite of passage (write of passage? ) for young school children-- now it seems that no one can do it correctly.
   I think the keyboard is on the way out, too. My tablet takes spoken dictation pretty well.

   replyreport
   1. 68

      RockyMountainMomposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Good point--Cursive is notably absent from younger grade school curriculum...My daughter had it at some point, so my son (going into 3rd grade) knows of it from seeing her do it.  Since they haven't touched on it yet, he makes up his own.

      replyreport