Writing in the Age of Email: The Impact of Ideology versus Technology

Abstract

Tracing social change and the evolution of writing, the American writing curriculum provides the base for an argument that considers changing ideology as a strong factor in shaping contemporary views about composition and technique in writing. Technology alone, the author argues, is not responsible for what is an increasingly oral approach to written language. Emergent dimensions of email that alter communication access, social interaction and response are examined as contributory factors.