The future of readingReading: we do it every day. In almost every aspect of our lives and we often take it for granted. Reading is essential for human communication and increasing knowledge. However, because reading is so important, even a small change can have a significant impact on our modern society. We are currently in the midst of a cultural revolution. In which the printed word is transformed by digital. The impact of technology on our individual lives and culture has been a general problem of our time. In her essay “In the beginning was the Word”, Christine Rosen analyzes the effects of modern society dominated by images and its influence on our daily lives, as well as our abilities to understand a complex literature acquired over the years of human history. In “Three Tweets for the Web” Tyler Cowan analyzes the effects of a new cultural medium in our society and its effectiveness on multitasking and increasing intellectual satisfaction in our highly literal modern society. Rosen and Cowan both present evidence that our society is in the midst of a cultural transition and that the printed world is becoming a less central part of our lives. This cultural transition affects our daily activities in many ways; such as, the stimulation of distractions, attention span, and our efficiency in multitasking. Rosen, senior editor of New Atlantis, in his essay published in Wilson Quarterly in autumn 2009 “In the Beginning Was the Word”, highlights how digital technology, particularly in communication and entertainment, negatively affects our lives on a social and cognitive. She believes that although technology may appear to be a sign of our progress as human beings, it is distancing us from basic literature. Rosen explains that... middle of paper......wan believes that one of the best things about our digital lives is the ease with which we can share ideas with others. It is now possible for readers to connect with each other around the world, as well as recommend and share their opinions on a particular piece of literature. Our need to engage in “deep reading” will not disappear, as Rosen believes. The act of reading can evolve as it has evolved since the beginning of humanity. The way we read and write has evolved from cave walls to stone tablets, from paper to keyboards. The digital world won't change what we read, but how we read. Because the experience of reading, the love of fiction and the desire to tell stories are instilled in our DNA. Reading is a fundamental human need, it is evolutionary. While our means of obtaining information or telling stories may change, the act of reading literally lasts forever.