Literacy: A Social Necessity.

When I think of “a social view of literacy,” what comes to mind is how Brandt wrote “By the end of nineteenth century, the ability to read was no longer regarded as an avenue to morality but rather as an indication of moral behavior itself (just as illiteracy became- in and of itself- an indication of antisocial or immoral behavior).”  To be illiterate- truly and completely unable to read or write- would isolate a person, or indicate years of isolation in our current society.  This made me think of how we have developed so many other ways of communication and literacy other than just verbal.  In fact, electronic communication is now preferred.

I remember learning to dial and use a telephone as a kid.  When I made friends at school, I would write down my friends numbers and memorize them.  Back then, a phone number was an identity, as common as a last name.  Now, this is true of social media names (as I wrote about in an earlier blog).  I no longer have phone numbers memorized because there are too many of them to keep track of.  I also don’t call anyone as often. In fact, I’m often met with shock if I call rather than text.  In this sense, the ability to read and write is an absolute necessity.

I do not read or write for myself.  I read and write so I can communicate with others.  It is not an individual pursuit anymore.  As a kid I wanted to learn to read for the sake of books and literature.  If I had never learned to read, I’d be a social outcast now.  It’s key to fitting in because computers and electronic technology run communications and require this ability.  As Baron wrote, “the computer is simply the latest step in a long line of writing technologies.”  Literacy and communication is it’s primary function.