For my tech tool, I chose to examine the Hemingway Editor App, and this program values concise and simple writing. This program is certainly a product of the ideological landscape that currently surrounds writing. Previously, any type of writing was viewed as an art form, and it was valued for its complexity. This concept conjoins with the art of handwriting as well, which required the writer to take their time. While these aspects are still valued in some regards, mostly everything is typed now and the amount of information as well as the pace in which we, the audience, receive this information is rapidly increasing. Most of society no longer has the time to read a two page email or letter describing something that can be said in a couple of sentences. And why would we want to? That type of writing is left for the creative writers and the readers of novels. Society now functions at a fast-paced stamina, and if what you are reading does not convey the point quickly, it is left behind.
This got me thinking about my students and how they value reading and writing currently. Unless it is for class, the majority of their reading consists of 140 character twitter posts or random hashtag collections under Instagram photos. Since they don’t use Facebook anymore, they don’t even run the risk of reading a lengthy political or sociological rant from a friend or relative that I know I am at least accustomed to. This generation lives their lives through pictures now. They create these photo landscapes of their lives , capturing every selfie and memory they possibly can. Hand written diaries have been replaced with Instagram accounts, and conversations have been replaced with SnapChat. It will be interesting to see how progress in the field of digital humanities will be shaped by this and how it will shape our students.