Writing,
technology, and circulation are extremely interconnected concepts. Writing,
which is a technology itself, is being continuously improved upon as new
innovations transform the way people communicate and exchange ideas and information.
Circulation provides a means of spreading not only the technique of writing but
also the informative and entertaining material that it allows for. As new
technologies are developed, the process of circulation may become simpler so
that pieces of writing (whether it be physical texts, online documents, etc.)
may be spread over vaster areas to a wider audience. Take the transition from
paper letters (snail mail) to email, for example. As elicited by Jolly in “We are the Web”: Letter Writing and the 1980s Women's Peace Movement, during the 1980s Women’s Peace Movement, the
ability to write and send letters provided a method of networking among women
who were geographically divided. Similarly, but at a higher level of
efficiency, emails allow for simple networking between companies,
organizations, and groups in today’s web-based society. While
there is essentially a context that could warrant each different platform, even
today, electronic mail overall makes for quicker mass circulation of
information that letters simply can’t compete with. In the cases of both email
and letters (as well as newsletters and chain letters, in the context of the
Women’s Peace Movement), the technology of writing is relied upon in order to
convey meaningful and significant messages. Newsletters, chain letters, and
personal letters can all be considered separate technologies, each used in
slightly different ways for the general purpose of creating a “web” of
connected individuals. Writing is a uniting factor in that it is widely
understood and has the potential and capability to reach a desired audience and
achieve a certain desired reaction, determined and articulated through the use
of rhetoric by the author(s). It is especially useful in political and social
spheres, in which the distribution of information and the use of persuasion are
prioritized. As new technologies continue to emerge, the preferred methods of
communication between humans around the globe continues to evolve. Social media
has completely transformed the concept of circulation. Now, with the click of a
button, companies, individuals, and organizations have the power to broadcast
their messages and ideas to the entire world via the Internet. Penny and Dadas
discuss Twitter, for example, as an effective means of advancing political
and/or social movements through tweets and retweets.
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