Books have been the most important literacy technology in my life. When I was in first grade, my parents were getting a divorce, and I spent all my time watching TV, trying to block out the real world. My reading and writing skills basically stopped progressing, and my first grade teacher, Mrs. Schmidt, talked to my mom about how to correct this. My mom decided to get rid of our TV, so I had to find a new escape, and that’s when I discovered books. I could lose myself in all kinds of different adventures for pure escape, or I could face my own problems by reading about people who were going through tough times like me, and find out that I wasn’t alone. Books helped me to make sense of the changes within my own little world, to gain understanding of my situation and my emotions, and to find ways to express my thoughts and feelings about such a complex topic as divorce. As I have continued reading over time, I believe I have gained a greater understanding of the human condition, and am more empathetic than I would be without books.
The Power of Words
Books also taught me new ways of communicating and thinking. I remember reading “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, and a particular line stood out to me. The author was describing a meeting with a teacher, who was trying to find the right words to say to illustrate her point. Instead of stating that the teacher was hesitant, the author said the teacher was “testing the taste of her words.” I remember being floored by that line - words had a taste? What a beautiful and lyrical way of putting it! It was at that moment that my eyes were opened to the incredible power of words, and that you could play with them in new and interesting ways to evoke emotions and drive thinking.
When I was in Europe this summer, there were many times I didn’t have access to the internet, which showed me how heavily I rely on my phone and social media in order to be connected. I always thought that social media brought me closer together to people, because I could use Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends that live far away. While this is partly true, I found my phone and social media also disconnect me from my surroundings. When we had no access to internet, our study abroad group spent time talking to each other - really talking - and learned a lot about each other and our reasons for doing study abroad. Conversely, when we had internet access, everyone was silent and scrolling on their phones. Instead of being engaged in the present and forming connections, we were catching up on moments in the past that were already done and gone, and usually weren’t all that important to begin with. It seemed a little silly to spend time finding out that my friend got a latte at Starbucks that morning back home in America, instead of discussing the ancient city of Ephesus that our group toured that day while I was sitting there with them.
While Facebook can be a great resource for archiving moments in our lives, I think the ease and convenience of it also compels us to add too much of the mundane. It can be a lot of clutter that pushes out the more important connections we could make if we were more invested in the present.
It’s strange to think of photographs as a digital “literacy,” because I always think of literacy as being able to read, which in turn is for acquisition of knowledge. But I guess you can acquire knowledge from photographs as well, and they can tell stories too. Maybe that’s where the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words” come from? For me, I treasured pictures of my dad, because when my parents divorced he moved to another state. I spent summers with him, but during the school year I didn’t get to see him much, so pictures made me feel like a part of him was with me and watching over me.
As I look at pictures from my life, I can see the ways in which I’ve grown, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. I can see the things that are important to me. But someone who doesn’t know me would also be able to gain a sense of the person I am from my pictures. A few years ago my aunt started working on a family tree, and collected pictures of family members. From those I got a glimpse of my dad’s life growing up, and could see how his childhood on a farm in rural South Dakota was vastly different from mine. Sometimes I think some of his ideas are old-fashioned, but when I saw those pictures, it helped me to understand the reasons why he believes them. Pictures can bridge the gap between what you imagine and what is reality.