Literacy
Literacy is most commonly defined as “the ability to read and write.” In other contexts, being literate correlates with one's familiarity of the subject he/she is discussing. A great number of classical rhetoricians, such as Socrates, were illiterate and relied solely on their talents of oration and knowledge of rhetorical strategies to carry their debates and win complex court cases. It wasn't until Plato documented Socrates' speeches and lectures that classical rhetoricians had a presence in the written word. In modern times, literacy is a necessary attribute to function in everyday life. However, the introduction of social media networks, such as Facebook, has severely diminished the prominence of well-constructed and well considered arguments in the public forum. With the invention of the internet, the ability to provide one's opinion has become more readily available to the common person. As a result, social media platforms are steeped in uneducated and unedited arguments, usually rife with grammatical errors and factual discrepancies. Buried in this landslide of unintelligible bickering, the rare individual emerges who forms an argument with concise wording and the authority of one who has planned his/her arguments before publishing them to the viewing public. These uninformed and haphazard opinions were certainly common in the time of the classical rhetoricians; however, the public had no way of presenting or publishing these opinions to the more educated scholars. In antiquity, one had to study diligently and for many years to obtain the ability and the right to express their opinions in such a public setting. Today, a stable internet connection and a functioning keyboard are all one needs to address the public.
The social networking platform “Twitter” restricts the thoughts of users to a mere 140 characters. This restriction has created a dichotomy among its users. Some users utilize the restriction as a personal challenge to create the most poignant and concise depiction of their thoughts and opinions. In direct opposition to this mindset, most users merely condense their words into abbreviations and their sentences into incoherent fragments. One must then become “Twitter literate” in order to decipher the cluster of consonants thrust into public view. Though not literacy in the classical sense, Twitter literacy has become a form of modern rhetoric. Plato and Aristotle's complex arguments and extended debates of antiquity have been replaced by the current generation's “texting lingo.” This isn't to say that literacy in modern rhetoric is a thing of the past. Twitter literacy has only joined the ranks of classical and modern literacy, not eradicated them from public knowledge. Twitter isn't the medium used for elaborate, complex, and well-planned strings of thought. Individuals on Twitter who seek to pose extended thoughts have to do so in sporadic bursts of 140 characters or fewer. For lengthier and better planned discussions, sites like tumblr and blogger have developed without character limits for text posts. The sites also feature a comment section, which fosters discussion on the original poster's published content. While literacy has become muddled and fallen from common use on most social media platforms, there are still remnants of literacy on the internet.
Orality
Orality is the concept of a strictly oral argument, discussion, or way of life. In modern digital media, orality is abundant. News broadcasts, television shows, radio broadcasts, and podcasts are all modern inventions that rely strictly upon spoken word. Newscasts feature scrolling text at the bottom of the television screen, but the bulk of the information is relayed through only the broadcaster's voice. The oral tradition compliments the modern life style perfectly; listening to news and entertainment allows individuals to do work while also being entertained or informed. The hectic lifestyle of the modern individual benefits from having a quick and easy way to stay informed on current events.
The social media platform YouTube is based almost entirely on orality. YouTube allows individuals or groups of individuals to express themselves through auditory and visual mediums, as opposed to the purely textual medium of printed news, journals, and online blogs. “Vlogging,” or video blogging, has become an increasingly popular platform for self expression. Vloggers create content within an extreme range of subjects. Certain creators stick to one subject, be it serious or of a comedic nature; others vary vlog styles from video to video. However, these blogs all have one thing in common: orality. The videos may feature textual overlays, image slideshows, or blank screens, but almost all personal vlogs feature the voice of the creator delivering a spoken message. This modern soapbox has been mounted by countless individuals and contributes to the modern oral tradition.
Another extension of the oral tradition in modern digital media is filmed stand-up comedy. Before the popularization of video recording, stand-up comedy was an experience that required an individual's physical presence in a comedy club. However, once video recording was introduced to the stand-up scene, an individual could view several comedy routines from his/her own home. Stand-up comedy, already a tradition rooted in orality, became a household name once it became readily available to the general public. The popularity of the routines grew drastically as more people repeated jokes and recommended that their friends also watched the video. Word of mouth propelled the stand-up industry into prominence, and the comedic oral tradition flourished.
Finally, podcasts have become a large aspect of the modern oral tradition. Podcasts, like vlogs, have a wide range of subject matter. One can download education, entertainment, or news related podcasts and carry hours of content with them on their mobile devices. Popular news outlets often publish podcasts to supplement their newscasts; NPR, CNN, and the BBC are several popular news podcasts available to listeners. The “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast is a prime example of an entertainment broadcast. The content is created specifically to entertain through stories of the fictional desert town Night Vale and the strange, Lovecraftian experiences that are commonplace for its residents. “Welcome to Night Vale” is strictly an auditory experience; there are no accompanying images or written stories to supplement the half hour narratives. Podcasts such as these are actively widening the oral tradition of modern society.
Examples of orality in digital media: Thoughts from Places, a series of YouTube videos published by the Vlogbrothers. These videos depict a wide range of topics, ranging from the extremely serious to the highly comedic.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9EF0C1C9A93295C5