Online Writing has altered our ability to write. Twenty years ago, to communicate with a friend who you didn't see often, you had to write them a letter (or call them, but we're discussing writing) mail it, wait for them to read it, and then wait for them to write back. When we look at letters from the past, they're often long, and touch on multiple topics before ending. We can see the remnants of this in email communication. With the introduction of instant messaging services and texting, we see that people can communicate back and forth rapidly, and move from topic to topic more easily.
Similarly, the online paradigm allows people to write as a unit more coherently. Joint publications prior to the internet required people to verbally communicate what they wanted to write and decide before putting the idea to paper, but online media has allowed collaboration to take place in real time, and co-authors can see what an idea looks like on the page and decide to keep it or not.
This speed issue in electronic communications is important, and I suspect most do not think about it carefully enough. What happens as writing becomes as immediate as speaking?
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