In order to understand just how fundamental the differences between orality, literacy, and electracy,
it is important to understand the idea that each form of communication has different things that they are related to
and how they view things. At least from a more cultural and abstract
sense, as there is often overlap and things that are not necessarily unique to any of the forms of communication
in a more abstract way.
The first example is that of their practice:
| Orality |
Literacy |
Electricy |
| Religion |
Science |
Entertainment |
While there is some overlap as entertainment is found in all epochs with
spoken stories and novels, and how religion is still a major
part of all the forms, this still feels like a good place to start.
It shows this growth of how stories and trust were what was primarily
relied on, to the introduction of how findings could be recorded and built upon,
to how we use the internet to connect and find enjoyment
in new ways. It does not make any of the aspects more or less important,
simply in how they show focus.
Another example is state of mind:
| Orality |
Literacy |
Electricy |
| Faith |
Knowledge |
Fantasy |
In a primarily oral culture, you need trust, you need faith, it’s all you have.
In a primarily literate culture, it becomes easier to build
and to share knowledge, easier to visualize and experiment. In electricity it is
easier to engage in fantasy. To enter a world where you can be
whomever you want, where it is harder to see the consequences and leave behind
the fantasies you no longer wish to engage in. To leave behind the
troubles waiting outside of the screen. While hard to explain, by looking at the
three forms in this matter, we can clearly begin to see how each one
is different and how even the overlap is approached differently.
With that said I would now like to propose my own unique example,
that the panacea itself is an apparatus that can be viewed differently
in orality, literacy, and electricy. Now if you are unfamiliar with the panacea
that is completely understandable as even I do not claim to be an expert by any means
and rarely have I even heard mention of if.
However, I recommend starting by looking up images of the panacea.
The panacea is a mythical item or concept, an idea of a cure all, a miracle.
Since it does not exist and cannot exist, it is imagined in many different ways.
The panacea’s conception begins in mythology. A Greek goddess of universal remedy.
However, I also have seen panacea being depicted as a fruit, one you can eat and be
cured of anything. A panacea as a miracle, something you hope and pray for and try to have faith in.
Very fitting as a product of orality.
However, when looking up depictions of the panacea, you also find images of medication.
Of doctors using it as a logo or model for their research to find cures.
While still a myth, it now feels like a futuristic piece of fiction instead,
an idea or a dream that through human achievement via research and science we could
create a cure to any ailment. A product of literacy indeed.
But what of electricity, what image of the panacea could possibly be unique and
so fitting of electricity for the panacea to be an apparatus
in the same way as practice and state of mind? Well I would like to argue
the idea that maybe the internet itself can be seen as a sort of panacea.
Many use the internet to try and fix their issues. They run to it hoping
for an easier answer or a solution. They look for assurance that they are
right so they don’t have to face their mistakes or being wrong. They use it
to fill the loneliness inside of them. To avoid their mental and physical
health struggles. To fix our technological problems. We hail the internet
as this grandest achievement, the one that fixes all our issues. But it doesn’t.
It may fix many, but new ones are created.
We often run to the internet to escape the stresses of life.
But the moment we log off, we find the issues right where we left them,
because no matter how we choose to view it, the panacea is a myth.
The Digital Panacea
Exploring Electracy
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