Lipson’s writing here is quite interesting, but I specifically want to touch on one thing mentioned. Lipson suggests that the medium most ancient Egyptians used (stone) influenced what was created. This idea reminded me a lot of “The Medium is the Message,” by McLuhan, in which he suggests that the medium itself alters what is being produced. It is interesting to me because McLuhan uses this straight sentence to convey his thoughts, while Lipson provides rather intriguing evidence to his statement. I do think that what they say is true, and I like how McLuhan’s statement suggests that this concept does not only apply to writing, but to all things. This I also find to be true. For example, if you take two actors, one for television and one for live theater, and tell them to enact a happy moment, they will do it entirely differently. As well, if you tried to put the theater actor on television and vice versa, the message would not be conveyed as well.
Though, when talking about writing specifically, I would like to question how digital media has affected what kind of writing is produced. It is hard to say if writings have become better or worse. I would suggest that it has rather just become more accessible, therefore we are seeing much more variety of kinds of writing. I also think writers are working harder on finding ways to grab the reader’s attention. With the amount of digital writing that is created each day, writers know that they have to make their writing unique in some way, otherwise readers will simply move on to find something better.
https://medium.com/@rob.wild/william-shakespearethe-impact-of-technology-on-writing-a95d7e674b0a