Writers’ World: Will Pen and Paper Go Extinct?

In the present day scenario, letters on the keyboard are more prioritized than the letters written on paper. Earlier when hand written letters were considered so superior, now the communication is done all over a text message. Considering this, will the pen and paper disappear in the near future?

Now that we’re living in the digital age where technology is increasing and evolving at an unprecedentedly fast rate (too fast for most people to catch their breath), how do you think this will affect the future of paper and the pen in general.

It wasn’t too long ago that people were still reading paperback books. Now all of a sudden, we have a significant chunk of the population reading e-books from a kindle or iPad. Not only books, but newspapers, articles, and other documents in these little electronic devices.

Pretty soon, paper money (and coins) will be done away with and in their place; we’ll have microchips implanted in our fingers as “credit cards” for dealings of our day to day life. Basically, everything we once used paper for will be replaced by something digital. If we’re lucky, the only thing that will remain paper is toilet paper.

There was a time when every notebook I used to own I would fill it up with words, nothing but words. There were stories, information about sports I was interested in and a whole lot of other idiotic stuff. Full pages and pages were drowned in words, and I used to love my books.

A year or two later however, I got a new computer. I improved my typing skills. I also learned to use programs like Microsoft Word for writing. Henceforth I was using this almost exclusively for my writing. My notebooks, which were once so full that there wasn’t even space to copy down a phone number, now were empty. What happened?

The thing that happened was that I had changed my writing medium from pen and paper to the computer. Isn’t this the same thing that is happening around us? Not only do we have computers now but we also have a whole bunch of new innovations like the 3D pens, smart pens, kindle, iPad, e-books, etc

What amazes me is that the new gadgets are so innovative and seem magical altogether. One such gadget is the 3D pen which lets you write, scribble and doodle anything. This pen comes over with a range of 80 colors to use in and lets one to make 3D objects from it. You just have to scribble, trace or wave a finger in the air and the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. You can rather freehand draw things or use stencils to do it. Another benefit is that it is eco-friendly, kid-safe and there’s no age limit to use it. These pens are crafted for creativity. Using them is a whole new fun, unique and creative experience.

But the question here is; are the pen and paper really going to be extinct?

A friend once asked me, have you heard that “The pen is mightier than the sword?”

“Yes”, I said. He goes on to ask me, have you ever heard “The tabs, phones, or e-books are mightier than the sword?”
Well no, none of us might have heard that. By this, we can tell that the pen will always be mightier than the sword.
And lastly, no matter how many more new innovations we have with our basic pen and paper, the writers are going to be the same.

 

While we are philosophizing over what ifs, we should remember the essence of writing – writers are creators, and they will always keep creating. The medium of putting down the words might change but the words will remain the same and the need for words will be constant. Yes, the method of conveying might change and evolve and we might find ourselves writing the script for the latest virtual experience – or even the painting the walls of a house with our 3D pen.

In the end, writers are creators, and they will always keep creating. The medium of putting down the words might change but the words will remain the same.

 Image Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5].