Is the Written Word a Losing Battle?

Books, magazines and newspapers have served as a way for any community to learn about the world outside, and before cell phones and the Internet, the written word was the only way to bring the news to the people. In the early part of America's history, books were an invaluable source to learn about God, the human condition, far away countries, and far fetched realms. Writing was a booming enterprise in this mysterious new world we had discovered. Much of the land had yet to be charted and most of the westward country was filled with blushing green paradises and rolling plains that gave the imagination room to roam. There was a thousand possibilities to discover and the new country wanted to hear them all. The printing press was created in the 1440's and brought words to more people than ever before. Reading became a habitual way of life for everyone, especially in America, and writing was the means to convey this new life. Nowadays, things have changed and it raises the question, is the written word losing to faster ways to learn, imagine and entertain?

It wasn't long until the industrial revolution brought a whole new age for industry and possibility. During this time, whole tracks of farmland were scathed from the apparently limitless earth and forests were logged to support the growing population. Our towns began to creep westward as they turned into cities and states. Phone lines began shooting across the nation which slowing fazed out letter writing. What seemed to be just a few years later, the Internet began connecting the world together, giving equal information to the entire planet. Along with television, the screen seemed to replace the paper as the general way to communicate and although most young people today can type very quickly, we are talking about very different things.