History class teaches us
that technology is an invention that makes human labor easier. The article “Why
Digital is Better than Print,” by Dan Blank, Blank discusses why digital
methods of reading and writing documents is a better method than print.
Technology has allowed documents that were previously handwritten on paper to
be created and stored digitally with an infinite amount of space. As technology
continues to advance the old method of creating and storing documents are being
phased out of work and school systems in favor of digital methods. Digital
copies of writing are easily transferred from one source to another making
information easily accessible from any device with an internet connection. “Once
you digitize something, you unleash a world of possibilities. No longer
confined to one medium, it can morph, evolve, be segment or expanded, be
updated, be aggregated, be hyperlinked, and mashed up” (Blank). The advantages
of digital technology are far better than print.
The old method, or
keeping documents on paper, is a difficult way of life. Most documents were
recorded by using pen and paper. For people who work in medical offices and
court rooms that transcribe information, writing things using pen and paper
would lead to hand cramps and fatigued wrists. Not only was the physical labor
of writing things by hand tiring, all paper documents needed a space to be
stored. Furthermore, print copies containing information do not automatically
link themselves together. When you need to retrieve a document for information,
you have to physically look it up and then go find the documents on shelves.
The old method is time and energy consuming. Paper documents deteriorate over
time oxidizing with the air. After about 20 years, paper documents are not
viable sources of information. More rapidly, “The lifespan of a newspaper is
incredibly short – just look at the trash bins at Penn Station in New York by
9:30am; they are overflowing with current day’s papers – already used up”
(Blank). Even with important documents on paper, after a few days’ time the
documents is likely to be rewritten or reprinted because paper documents cannot
be altered.
The new method, for
creating and storing documents digitally, is a technology advancement made
human labor easier. When writing is made digitally it is accessible from
anywhere. Digital systems also link documents with related information
together. When they link similar information together digital devices give
suggestions on what to read, research or focus on next. “This is one of the
many things that search engines have given us – the ability to dive deep into
the archives of all media to pull up relevant results the moment you need it”
(Blank). For students with writing and research classes, there are applications
that create work cited pages, spelling and grammar checks documents, and
creates study guides for the people using them. This allows less time and
energy to wasted searching and creating documents. Technology takes a long time
to deteriorate and if the device breaks it can easily be fixed. Digital
documents are stored with an infinite amount of space unlike its print counterpart
and it is ecologically friendly because we do not need to cut down trees to
create new documents.
Although there are many
advantages of technology, there are some drawbacks that print is not affected
by. The internet is one big server catering to everyone. At times, the internet
service can be slow because too many people are using the internet at one time.
The internet signal can be limited in certain areas. Both internet connection
problems can slow down productivity. While print can be stay as only a paper
document only and vulnerable to the elements, digital can be bound to the wall
as technology depends on electricity to work. Batteries dying, broken charging
cords, lack of power sources and city blackouts can interrupt work and study.
Digital screens can also cause headaches and the internet bills can become
high. However, for every advancement in technology, there is a convenience fee
in some form that people have to pay.
The many advantages of
technology significantly outweighs the disadvantages. The disadvantages of
technology can also solved with different strategies. For example, limiting the
amount of data that people use or limiting how long people use the internet can
reduce the cost of the internet bill and stop digital screen headaches.
Critical exams are testing students using digital methods. This continues to
show that everyone should transition into using digital documents instead of
paper documents.
Blank, Dan. “Why Digital Is Better Than Print.” I Feel Fine:
How I Learned To Stop
Worrying and Love The Web." danblank.com. n. p. 5 August
2000. web.
[29 October 2014]
