Paper in the digital age
I like lists, in fact I live by them.
I make to-do lists, idea lists, research lists, and shopping lists.
I like crossing things off the list, its one of my favorite aspects of the list.
But my absolute favorite thing about lists? Writing them.
The feel of a really good pen on a really nice piece of college ruled paper, being able to look back at my work, cross things out, make changes, and have a tangible record of progress, this is why I like lists, but even more its why I need paper.
We now have a digital version for just about everything that used to be on paper, from books to newspapers, magazines, journals, papers, mail, you name it, there is a digital version. And yet the idea of a notebook and a pen is still overly prevalent.
We may read a document on a computer screen, but we are more often than not taking notes on paper. We may read from a blog, but we write ideas down on paper. But where does this come from? Why are we so stuck on paper?
For starters, it is tangible. We can cradle it for substance, mark it up with a red pen, and crinkle it up when overcome with frustration. When something is written by hand it feels validated, feels vaulted. A hand written card holds more sentiment than an email, and hand written corrections hold more gravitas than tracked changes.
Secondly, we do not have a substitute. The products that claim to be “digital notebooks” never really caught on, nor did they have the technological prowess to be up to par for everyday use. This may change with the introduction of the ipad, if apple decides to create a script to digital text program.
Finally, there is a tentative attitude about removing paper from our daily lives. People clamor over the salvation of the newspaper, professors may post online but also hand out a hard copy. We all cling to this notion that paper is essential, that it embodies some sort of broad reaching media form. But digital is no longer just for the children of the digital age (eg; millenials and those that come after), it is moving beyond us, above us. Our parents are on facebook and twitter, companies are moving away from tangible press kits towards media centers on websites or flash drives.
Maybe we are approaching the end of the print age, as we speed into complete digital immersion, but I plan to hold back.
I’ll follow your blogs, your tweets and your status updates. I will find my news online, and read novels on my kindle. But I refuse to put down my pen, put away my paper and give up on my lists.
Photo Credit: epsos
I keep track of a lot of things on my Blackberry — different lists, my calendar, etc. — but I still have a pen and notebook in my purse at all times. I never used a Google calendar until I got my Blackberry, when I switched over because it was just more convenient to have it on my phone than on a big desktop calendar or on a pocket calendar in my purse. I still kind of miss the paper calendar, though, and being able to see it on paper. You're exactly right; it's not the same.