The newer social networks – Instagram, Vine, Pinterest, Snapchat – have one thing in common: they’re visually oriented. The premise behind them seems to be about sharing experiences and emotions “of the moment.” None of them require much captioning, raising the question of whether they’re killing writing.
I would suggest they aren’t. Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat are about glimpses in time and sharing experiences. They aren’t the places for “moments recollected in tranquility” as Wordsworth would say or for telling full-length stories even if stories can (and should) be told with images and interactive content. They’re for “abbreviations” and “ephemera.”
Even so, the networks’ lack of a written narrative is a bit worrisome. Could it result in less writing? Could it have a detrimental effect upon the art of writing itself? Perhaps and perhaps not. Such networks could have a role to play in the larger realm of content creation and art.
Instead of bemoaning the fact that writing has received a death note, English and creative writing professors might be better served by examining how visually oriented networks can interact with and complement the written word. They should talk about Instagram and Vine in the classroom rather than rail against the decline of the physical book. By welcoming the conversation, they could, in fact, inspire the next generation of writers.
The question to be asked isn’t what writers should do to stop technology and visual media from infiltrating the world of the written word. They already are. The writing, so to speak, is already on the wall.
The questions to be asked are ones about communication. If the written word is one way to convey a message, what are others? How can words on a page be complemented by abbreviations and ephemera? Could Vine be to YouTube what poetry is to fiction? That is, could the smaller, more contained moments illuminate facets found within the larger stories?
Those are the questions I like to ponder. The threat to writing may exist, but I choose to explore how the disparate parts can work together and enrich one another. Visual media and writing aren’t enemies. They aren’t diametrically opposed. They can be supporting pillars, allies, and maybe even friends but only if vigilantes on both sides step back and embrace what always has been and always will be a messy process: making art.
Image: Kai Chan Vong (Creative Commons)
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