Primary vs. Secondary Oral Cultures

Walter Ong in his essay, “Orality, Literacy, and Modern Media”, introduces us to the concept of having a primary oral culture and a secondary oral culture. He explains that primary oral cultures had no preconceived notions about what writing was or how to use it; instead they focused on sound as a means of communication, which was relevant to their culture. Much emphasis was put on the element of sound since no texts were available, which meant they had nothing to read from. This lead to the usage of mnemonic devices which organized thought processes. By using this new technique, individuals would be prepared for “oral re-occurrence” ( Ong57), for when they needed to refer back to information. “Sound exists only when it is going out of existence” (Ong 52). This idea influenced oral psychodynamics that is, sound in correlation to interior concepts (inside/between). Sound according to Ong, is the main ingredient that is found within structures: thus producing something incredible coming from an interior design. For example, violins create beautiful sounds, but if cement were placed in their interior designs, then the result wouldn’t be so lovely.

Unlike vision where we can only focus on one thing, sound enables us to focus on more than one thing at a time using our auditory senses. Harmony and interior concepts of the human mind became essential for understanding this idea.

There were however, some limitations that came with the primary oral culture which included:

-Restriction of words (no words accessible)

-No available texts (nothing to read)

-Inability to retain the same thoughts (made thinking pointless because you couldn’t refer back to anything)

-No documentation

This eventually paved the way for a new system of communication: the second orality culture. The emergence of the second orality culture came during the advances in technology which included the telephone, radio and television. These new additions to communication were based on print and writing since radio and television programs followed a script. Without writing and print, the manufactures and operations couldn’t be completed. During this secondary stage McLuhan stated that we as a culture had become a “global village” (Ong 54), equipped with groups that consisted of programmatic and self conscious thinking.

After reading this essay, I would have to agree that qualities from the preliterate societies do have preferable concepts that literate societies could use. Today for example, the usage of mnemonic devices can help with memorization skills since it aids in long-term memory improvement. This can be applied especially for those associated with television programs. Mnemonic devices are also positive when it comes to syntax purposes, which is beneficial to all aspects of communication. ( Ex. Order of operations applied to mathematics:PEMDAS).

Another quality from the primary oral culture that can be used for the secondary oral culture is the presence of an audience. Today when the president addresses the nation, he is not doing so directly to an audience; instead he is addressing it through a camera lens with the audience absent. This can be a limitation because the President is unable to connect with the audience by being physically and visibly in their presence. Knowing your audience and connecting with them through eye contact is beneficial for a good speech. The speaker himself had more opportunities to interact with the audience, including being able to answer questions during the primary oral culture, since advances in technology weren’t readily available yet.

Mnemonic devices and audience interactions are two qualities that the secondary oral culture can benefit from which was influenced by the primary oral culture. Nonetheless these qualities and others are the basis for furthering our understanding of communication.

Referenced from: Ong Walter, " Orality, Literacy and Modern Media",Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society, 6th edition. Boston. Pearson, 2010.

Then and Now: Media in Society

The way in which we communicate today is far from the way it used to be centuries ago. From papyrus sheets, to lined paper, it seems as though communication efforts have advanced a great deal in attempts to have better ways of delivering information to other people. In any sense change is inevitable, and it is because of these past creations that extensions have been made that are still relevant today.

During ancient times, writing was only limited to governmental, religious and magical purposes only, which emphasized the value of writing and how important it was back then. According to Andrew Robinson author of, “The origins of writing”, writing was considered as, “the greatest invention in human history” (p.27). It was said that the Egyptian God Thoth was the creator of writing, and that in terms of its origins, had begun with accountancy. Other claims suggest that it was created accidentally, but whatever the case may be, writing has paved the way for countless other discoveries such as scripts, hieroglyphics, and tokens.

Today writing is still an important aspect in our lives, and is essential once you enter the real world. Nowadays, society admires those that have the ability to read and write, but look down on those who do not. In reference to the “Media in Ancient Empires” chapter, more schools were built as well as centers of learning to help students develop writing techniques, showing that it was just as important then as it is now. Writing began to spread rapidly during that time, so it made since for everyone to join the ban wagon and get equipped with writing.

This same idea can be compared to typing, once everyone has mastered writing, the next thing on the agenda is to teach you how to type. Of course reading and writing go hand in hand, but the fact remains that writing did have somewhat of an impact as to why we type today. Papyrus as I mentioned earlier became the precursor of paper. Because Papyrus was very thin, clay became the newest form to write on by using a brush. The problem with clay however, was the limited time it took to dry which meant that one had to write at a fast pace. Trials after trials, society eventually came to create what we now call paper, not too thin and not able to dry quickly and it is because of the impact of papyrus and clay that we had the ability to create such a supply.

Another idea worth mentioning was the emergence of tokens which was the first form of communication processing but was short-lived due to the difficulties it had in using them for permanent records. Thanks to the invention of tokens, we now today have created a new data processing and storing product: the jump drive, a memory storage device.
Instead of just governments, religious organizations and magicians using writing as a form of communication, today writing seems to be used by everyone and anyone. The importance of writing can also have negative effects, such as control and power. Author Harold Innis explained that, “the control of religion over writing and education entailed neglect of technological change and military strength”, (p. 20). During this time, religion wanted to control everything, and since they thought that being able to write gave you power they did just that.

In conclusion, I do believe that communications from the past have impacted the communications our society has today. If it wasn’t for the Papyrus, then we wouldn’t have what we call paper today, and we would still be writing on rocks and buildings, and that wouldn’t be professional now would it?

I forgot to add that I am a sophomore at umbc

Response: "A Mobile Network Society"

In today's society, technological advances are notably becoming the norm and with each advance come society's need to purchase, contribute, or own that particular object or system. A prime example of this would be the emergence of cell phones; it used to be that a handful of people had them, but now in 2010 it’s hard to find someone without a cell phone. In Manuel Castells', "A Mobile Network Society" essay, he emphasizes the reason behind choices, practices, and values of mobile communication. He explains that the, "practice of mobile communication is connectivity rather than mobility" (Castell 304). I believe that this argument holds true since a vast majority of our population has to remain in constant connection with other people, whether it is with coworkers, classmates, or government officials. I can attest to this principle because once my cell phone dies I feel disconnected with the world, wondering if I missed something important and whether or not it will have an effect on something later on. Basically, being connected is not just limited to your home but anywhere and everywhere which is why this is one of his strongest arguments.
Another strong argument proposed by Castell, is how mobile networking improves, “the chances, opportunities, and reach of interpersonal sociability” (Castell 304). This is especially relevant to the young population since one way to stay connected and meet up at places is through mobile communication, and text messaging. Parents nowadays allow their children to go to the mall by themselves since there way of communicating is through a simple phone call with the child saying, “You can come and pick me up now, where should I meet you?” It seems a bit scary at how young cell phone users have become just by this simple example. My younger sister got her first cell phone when she was ten years old, compared to being fourteen when I first got mine.
In the “Networks of choice” portion of the essay, Castell argues that individuals have the power to add or delete other people when it comes to their personal network. This can also correlate to the social networking site, “Facebook”, where you can add and delete whomever you choose.
However, the essay did have one weak point, which was the “Blurring of the Social Context” section. Personally, I would have suggested more clarification because it was difficult for me to understand. The only argument that I agreed with in this section was how, “people build their own space by simply ignoring others around them” (Castell 306). An example of this is how students are able to block out a professors lecture just by engaging in a simple text message. I am guilty for using this method, not with professors but with my grandmother for when she gives her ridiculous lectures of how I should stop blowing my entire paycheck on sneakers.
The last argument focuses on how wireless networking has “personal value” (Castell 307), and how people will go through great lengths when it comes to wireless networking; even if that means waiting in ludicrous lines just to get an overpriced “IPhone.” In a nutshell, Castell did adequately describe how cell phones are being used in our culture today, despite some minor flaws in the essay. In regards to my own cell phone usage, I use it for communicating wherever need be, whether at home, college, or at work for emergencies. I normally send out more text messages than I make phone calls, but I do set limits for myself so that I can avoid mobile networking trying to interfere with other important things in my life.