Words Onscreen
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
In Words Onscreen, Naomi Baron offers a fascinating and timely look at how technology affects the way we read.
Naomi Baron Books
January 1, 1946
This author delves into how electronically mediated communication shapes our writing and language. Her work explores the intricate relationship between language, technology, and education, examining the evolution of English in an increasingly digital world. With a keen interest in the fate of reading in digital environments, her analyses offer insightful perspectives on how we engage with text and language.
Readers of all ages, especially those in school, use learning materials in print, on digital screens, and increasingly with audio. While the words may be the same, research shows important differences in the way we concentrate, understand, and remember with these three media. In How We Read Now, linguist and reading expert Naomi Baron presents cutting-edge research on reading media and offers practical strategies for maximizing success with each format.
Exploring the evolution of the English language, this book highlights how technology, particularly email, is influencing communication styles. It presents an engaging narrative that examines the shift from formal language to a more casual, digital vernacular. Through historical insights and entertaining anecdotes, it reveals the implications of these changes on our language and interactions.
"Would you read this book if a computer wrote it? Would you even know? And why would it matter? Today's eerily impressive artificial intelligence writing tools present us with a crucial challenge: As writers, do we unthinkingly adopt AI's time-saving advantages or do we stop to weigh what we gain and lose when heeding their siren call? To understand how AI is redefining what it means to write and think, linguist and educator Naomi Baron leads us on a journey connecting the dots between human literacy and today's technology. From nineteenth century lessons in composition, to mathematician Alan Turing's work creating a machine for deciphering war-time messages, to contemporary engines like ChatGPT, Baron gives readers a spirited overview of the emergence of both literacy and AI, and a glimpse of their possible future. As the technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and fluent, it's tempting to take the easy way out and let AI do the work for us. Baron cautions that such efficiency isn't always in our interest. As AI plies us with suggestions or full-blown text, we risk losing not just our technical skills but the power of writing as a springboard for personal reflection and unique expression. Funny, informed, and conversational, Who Wrote This? urges us as individuals and as communities to make conscious choices about the extent to which we collaborate with AI. The technology is here to stay. Baron shows us how to work with AI and how to spot where it risks diminishing the valuable cognitive and social benefits of being literate"-- Provided by publisher