Literacy in the Trekiverse

[Nerys Ghemor]

I was wondering if anybody else had noticed this about the way the Trekiverse (at least, by the 24th century) is portrayed.

It seems to me that the skill of writing--and by that I mean writing by hand--has been greatly diminished, and mostly replaced by typing (and for that matter, have we ever seen any kind of alphanumeric keyboard, ever?) and perhaps even more by spoken dictation to the computer.

I have to wonder--what do you think the effects of that are on the people of the Federation? Their education? Their society? Their literacy levels? Was this a positive or negative move for humanity, or a mix of both?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

 

[Crewman47]

Off the top of my head Jake Sisko has been seen using a PADD for dictating and writing and using pen/pencil and paper so at least we know that they do still write normally.

 

[Myasishchev]

They can definitely read, so they should be able to write. I do suspect their penmanship is atrocious.

 

[SilentP]

Wasn't Nog originally meant to be illiterate before Jake started teaching him? In a universe that relies so heavily on technology, I can imagine ocmputers must be very interactive in terms of aural/oral communications for someone to be illiterate at his age, and still have a fairly good chance of functioning in society (Ferengi included).

 

[Myasishchev]

^Ferengi cognitive development could be radically different, though. But I do think you remember correctly, and it was heavily implied to be a bad thing.

 

[Xerxes1979]

I far as text entry is concerned a PADD may be similar to texting on a cell. Apparently they just fininshed the national texting contest and a young woman won something like $50,000.

I think this idea has merrit since it appears that Picard and Jake both use their thumbs a lot when writting on a PADD.

I think the idex finger would be mainly used for menu's or scrolling through pre-written material.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Off the top of my head Jake Sisko has been seen using a PADD for dictating and writing and using pen/pencil and paper so at least we know that they do still write normally.

But do we think that' s a common skill, or something Jake is only employing because of authors' "tradition"?

They can definitely read, so they should be able to write. I do suspect their penmanship is atrocious.

My thought is that ANY kind of writing is probably fairly bad, beyond signing their own names--kinda like the trouble a lot of people seem to have with cursive these days.

 

[Myasishchev]

Cursive is an abomination, a method of communication on roughly the same level as a monkey's fecal semaphore, but lacking the dignity.

 

[captcalhoun]

tell us how you really think!

i think they can write, they probably just don't do it as much.

 

[plynch]

I think in TOS the yoemen employed a stylus thing to write on the black clipboard-size PADD precursors. I THINK Dax uses one in the DS9 Tribbles ep.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I think in TOS the yoemen employed a stylus thing to write on the black clipboard-size PADD precursors. I THINK Dax uses one in the DS9 Tribbles ep.

23rd century definitely seems to be a bit different as far as the writing issue goes--on that I'll definitely agree with you.

But it really seems to have changed by the 24th to something almost closer to an oral society--using the computer more like a scribe was used in ancient days (difference being that most everyone can read what's written). I wonder how that would affect people's thought processes? And what happens when the computers go out and there are NO hardcopies of ANYTHING, not even the backups we tend to still have today?

 

[plynch]

And what happens when the computers go out and there are NO hardcopies of ANYTHING, not even the backups we tend to still have today?

1 (800) CALL SAM

Samuel T. Cogley, esq., Attorney at Law

 

[plynch]

They can definitely read, so they should be able to write. I do suspect their penmanship is atrocious.

Link to pic with Kirk with stylus asking a penmanship question of Lt. Sisko.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/SiskoKirk.jpg

Also Sisko and Dax on bridge with stylus:
http://www.treksinscifi.com/trekdaily/pictures/2008-03-07-Tribble-ations.jpg

 

[Myasishchev]

Link to pic with Kirk with stylus asking a penmanship question of Lt. Sisko.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../SiskoKirk.jpg

I think in TOS the yoemen employed a stylus thing to write on the black clipboard-size PADD precursors. I THINK Dax uses one in the DS9 Tribbles ep.

23rd century definitely seems to be a bit different as far as the writing issue goes--on that I'll definitely agree with you.

But it really seems to have changed by the 24th to something almost closer to an oral society--using the computer more like a scribe was used in ancient days (difference being that most everyone can read what's written). I wonder how that would affect people's thought processes? And what happens when the computers go out and there are NO hardcopies of ANYTHING, not even the backups we tend to still have today?

They'd all resort to cannibalism because their replicators quit working. The survivors might write out a last message in their victims' blood, but it would sadly be illegible.

 

[arasam22]

^lol

well, they still read books at least (or picard does anyways :P)

and you know... we see people only writing on PADDs, but that's only on starships and spacestations... i imagine people still use pen and paper at home and stuff. maybe.

 

[plynch]

^lol

well, they still read books at least (or picard does anyways :P)

and you know... we see people only writing on PADDs, but that's only on starships and spacestations... i imagine people still use pen and paper at home and stuff. maybe.

Off the subject, but your avatar is the best.