Do you think writing will become an obsolete skill?

[4RM3D]

Yeah, yeah, the handwriting of some people requires special deciphering tools in order to be understood. That aside...

With the digital age, more and more schools using computers and mobile devices taking over... Do you think writing will become an obsolete skill?

I have been thinking about it and I actually believe that in 50 (or so) years writing with no longer be taught by default.

 

[Nantucket_v1legacy]

I don't think so.

I currently work in an office and although I use my computer a lot more than I use my pen: using a pen can be a lot quicker and more reliable when you're taking a telephone message. Furthermore, it is such a pain in the backside to take minutes of a meeting on a laptop. Once again, your laptop can crash or lag which could potentially spoil the entire meeting. A pen and paper is the most reliable tool in an office.

 

[Dirge Eterna]

I think it will still be a valuable way to store and transfer information. My son is 6 and goes to a charter school specifically catering to technology and they all must learn to write by hand. While he knows how to type and use a computer and tablet he also still reads paper books. They even provide a tablet for them to use at school instead of school books in some cases, but all his homework and classwork is on paper. I would think that something easier and cheaper would have to evolve in order for us to not use paper so much in our everyday lives or something similar to paper. It is the cheapest and most efficient way for us to annotate our ideas and thoughts right now. Many people have difficulty learning via only spoken word or pictures. I personally learn the most from reading and writing would be an essential skill for the foreseeable future. Plus there are so many places in the world that can't handle hi-tech options, look at hom many places now don't have internet access. It will remain if for no other reason than it is cheap,easy and permanant.

 

[Shpongled]

No, i don't. Touchscreens using stylus' are on the rise and use the same handwriting skillsets so even if things go full-on computerised the skillset will still be relevant and applicable.

Keyboards are great when you're writing massive essays and you have access to a computer/laptop etc and don't mind having to wait for it to boot-up and whatnot, and keyboards on touchscreen phones are ideal for when you have very limited space on your device. For every other situation, handwriting is just more convenient.

Also signatures.

 

[Zhukov]

Nah, not for a long while.

And that's coming from someone who has terrible handwriting since I basically never have to write large amounts of text by hand.

It's kinda like how we still teach math despite having calculators everywhere.

 

[4RM3D]

Also signatures.

Those will disappear as well. Digital signatures are on the rise. For legal documents that need to be printed, there are other options. For example special QR codes.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Possibly eventually, but not write now. [sub]Couldn't resist[/sub]

Writing has an advantage over electronic text in that anyone can access it. If you find a book with a zip disk in it, the printed words on the paper are going to be much more useful to most people, even if the zip disk holds more of them.

 

[Esotera]

I can still seeing it being useful if you need to leave a note or something, but the majority of the time I write something, I'll be using a keyboard. Maybe education should include touch-typing classes as mandatory, because it's absolutely ridiculous that the majority of people don't know how to type fast & in a consistent manner.

Language as a tool of communication might decline if some sort of telepathic technology appears that allows people to communicate directly with thoughts, but for now we're stuck with the written and spoken word.

 

[sanquin]

At most I think paper will be replaced by a digital screen or some such. Already package delivery does it over here for your signature. And tablets have become quite common. They're also working on bendable/fold-able screens. It's only a matter of time before you get fold-able screens that you can write on with an electronic pen, and which you can probably erase by moving another small device over it. (one the size of an eraser for instance.)

Writing itself will never disappear. Neither will books, I reckon. They might become more expensive. Like when you buy a collector's edition of a game instead of a regular version, for the extra's you get. There's just something special about reading a paper book.

 

[Shpongled]

Also signatures.

Those will disappear as well. Digital signatures are on the rise. For legal documents that need to be printed, there are other options. For example special QR codes.

And what about signing a receipt? I don't like the idea that i should be required to carry around an electronic device at all times just so i can sign a receipt, and if i left my electronic ID (or w/e it would be) at home that day then i'm shit out of luck.

I honestly don't see them disappearing anytime soon. Not until we're all half-computer half-human anyway. Until then hand-written signatures are by far the best method of providing proof (or at least strong evidence) of identity without enforcing draconian regulations enforcing people to carry around ID at all times.

 

[an annoyed writer]

writing is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. We'll always need people to write the instruction manuals, show scripts, and other stuff, like those Cracked articles that so many are fond of posting. Even if we all become cyborgs that transfer out thoughts and feelings through telepathy, writing will still need to be around as a backup should that fail. Or at least I'd hope they'd invest in some repair manuals, or they'd just be a cybernetic race of morons that don't seem to have a clue of how to prepare for disaster.

 

[HoneyVision]

There's something very personal and intimate about physically scribing language on paper. Something that typing can't replace.

 

[Foolery]

No. Never. Not gonna happen. Writing will always be around. Don't be silly. We've been scribbling for centuries. It's an essential part of humanity now. Writing styles and the printing of letters might change though.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

No. We've been doing it for over 6,000 years. Personal computers have been around for 30, maybe.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Not in a long shot despite my handwriting skill is awful but I am alot better spotting my spelling/ grammer mistake when I write it out then I do typing it out on here.

Beside writing will always be around to those who do calligraphy.

 

[HardkorSB]

People say no but judging by the stupid decisions made by politicians in regards to the education, I wouldn't be surprised if schools would stop teaching it at some point, just to save money.

 

[Mark Rhodes]

Yes, why wouldn't it? It has no benefit over typing and has several downsides.

 

[Hero of Lime]

I hope not, to me being able to write is almost as valuable as being able to read. I may not do much writing anymore because of computers, but I still take physical notes in class, and a real signatures are still pretty cool.

It is a bit funny how much I am defending writing considering how awful my handwriting is, but I do believe it is an important skill, after all, there are times where we have no access to technology.

 

[Flatfrog]

I'd be all for handwriting being dropped. It's an astonishingly inefficient way to do any serious writing. Obviously it's a great way to make quick notes for your own benefit - much better than typing, especially on tablets - but I couldn't possibly write anything substantial by hand and it drives me crazy that we're still handicapping kids by forcing them to write essays and exams longhand. It's not about the writing itself, it's the word processing options; being able to cut and paste, add and remove sentences, etc.

In this day and age, no one needs to write anything longer than a postcard by hand for any other person to read.

 

[Heronblade]

Not in the foreseeable future.

No matter how prevalent electronic typing becomes, there will always be cases where it is unavailable or impractical to use.

I am training for one of the most tech dependent careers in the world. We use computers and computerized equipment for just about everything we do, and yet I constantly find myself with a pen/pencil in hand. Mostly for quick notes and line alterations rather than true writing, but the former must be legible to others.