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Thoughts for Larry Ferlazzo
Thinking about folklore and the importance of reading, I reflected on the transmittal of folklore and not on the legendary content itself. Coming down through history, most folklore was passed on from mouth to ear and children could only hear the stories at a time when someone else was willing to relate them. The importance of reading is in being able to access those stories – or any information – at a time that suits them. There are issues too of stories being lost as time goes on, or of consistency – one is reminded of the Chinese Whispers game.
I often use history as a basis for comparison when introducing social media with newcomers to online tools. Looking at world literacy statistics today, there are millions of people who are unable to read, but comparing those statistics with a time say 300 years ago is startling. Almost all of the middle to lower classes were illiterate and relied on alternative forms of communication for the goings on of the day. Add to that the concept that most people never travelled farther than 100 miles from the place they were born in their entire lives and you begin to paint a picture of an information poor society.
In terms of publishing, sites like this blog are an incredible achievement in providing a forum for the sharing of ideas. Historically, the ability to publish was almost exclusively open to only the clergy, learned and very rich. Even Jane Austen struggled initially to find a publisher for her stories as recently as 1811. When we read historical documents, the stories of millions of people have been lost because of an inability to read, write and publish; Perhaps they could have become some of our greatest literary works.
Social media, blogs, self-publishing and a range of other modern-day constructs bring the ability to record current history for all time in a way that has never been possible before. The story of the everyday person can be told. The ability to read is the first part of that process, and that is why it is so important.
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