let's write a new s(ONG)

JFG – Holy and glorious Ong! Thou art a master of writing, a true gift to the world of language, and an exalted scholar. Bless-ed are we to be in the presence of thee!

Ong – Oh, please. You’re making me blush.

JFG – No, but seriously Walter. You’re a legend! The three of us read Orality and Literacy before writing our book, Spreadable Media. We found it truly inspiring.

Ong – That’s so nice to hear! You know, a lot of my opinions have changed since writing that book. Sometimes I think about re-writing parts of it and relating it to a more current audience...I actually saw your book as a suggestion on Amazon, and I've started reading pieces of it before bed on my Kindle.

JFG – Did you?! What did you think?

Ong – One of the concepts that suck with me the most is when you mention that viewers contribute to the sentimental and symbolic cultural value in their everyday lives – doing this through the passing along of content and making material valuable within their social networks (JFG 123). I truly believe that the production of language – generated orally, on paper, or digitally – allows each person to become the creator of their own story.

JFG – We think so too! One of the examples we used in our book was from a game designer who said that “’everyone is a creator’” (JFG 157). Of course, he was talking about games, but I think this concept can easily be applied to writing and producing content electronically too.

Ong –I couldn’t agree more. In your book, you also mention the “shapes that participation takes in societies increasingly using digital tools to communicate and gather” (JFG 194). However, have you considered these digital tools and platforms in relation to previous forms of literature? I think it would be worth exploring how modern platforms reflect the spirit of collectivity and oral and written traditions of the past.

JFG – That is an interesting point. But I would argue that nearly all communication in the twenty-first century has something to do with media. Whether people are engaging through social media, blogs, chat discussion forums, or through user-generated content, communication can hardly be removed from the digital platforms they are posted on.

Ong – Ahhh. But you have forgotten the whole reason why people are able to communicate in the modern day. Without the connection between primary oral cultures to secondary oral cultures, and then the shift toward advanced electronic communication, we wouldn’t have any grounds for discussing the evolution, or landscape of modern language. Every aspect of digital publications evolved from print writing, which evolved distinctly from oral traditions.

JFG – I see your point. It probably would be valuable to compare modern media to other forms of communication, and the way it has evolved the way it has...We took a quote from Rosen, where she mentions “The writing readers” (JFG 153). In a way, in a culture of secondary orality, each of us has the ability to be both a consumer and producer of media. We have the ability to be create and critique the world around us, and digital platforms just make it easier for us to do just that…

Ong – Very nicely put. My goal isn’t to discount the way that language is used in the modern day, although it is vastly different than it used to be. In fact, it wasn’t until very recently that males and females were afforded the same access to language and writing technologies. In the example of Latin language, and as I mention in my book, “for well over a thousand years, it was sex-linked, a language written and spoken only by males” (Ong 111). Modern advancements have allowed for greater access among members of both sexes.

JFG – While I agree that males and females are more equal access than they used to, there is still a consistent bias toward male fans (JFG 151). Females are still discouraged from media production in many franchises, and despite progress compared to previous generations, they still lack equal access. And due to the nature of media's relationship to access, many others are still unable to produce and interact in digital culture. We do not and may never live in a society where every member is able to fully participate (JFG 193).

Ong – That is truly a shame to think about... A testament to the fact that language is a way to document history, or historical progress, and lack thereof. And also reflection that many societies, even today, do not have access to writing technologies, let alone digital media.

JFG – Indeed… Our world is constantly progressing. And I think technology helps us in our effort to move forward in the world. Media text can help drive active community discussion and debate, both in popular culture and civic discourse, and can lead to conversations that might lead to community activism or social change (JFG 168).

Ong – Yes! Conversations and discussion! Maybe we aren't too removed from understanding orality after all...Especially if digital media could become a way to reconnect modern audiences with oral culture! As I mention in Orality and Literacy, “Study of the contrast between orality and literacy is largely unfinished business” (Ong 153). This study has become, and will continue to become more complex with the introduction and spread of media technologies in the present day. But I really must be going… my wife promised to FaceTime me in about 10 minutes and I can’t miss her call!

JFG –It has truly been a pleasure to talk with you, Walter. If you wouldn’t mind taking a quick picture with us… we’re launching a live Q&A on Twitter this evening, and we’d love to post a picture with you to start up a conversation with our language-loving audiences…

Ong – Of course, but only if you tag me in it *winks*