Technology Both Kelly (2008) and Seabrook (2008) talk about the ways technology has radically transformed the ways people communicate and perceive the world. "We are headed towards screen ubiquity," claims Kelly (2008) in "Becoming Screen Literate." Screens are everywhere in our lives: from ATMs to personal video screens on airplanes. In "Hello, Hal," Seabrook (2008) discusses the phenomenon of interactive voice response systems (IVRs), which companies are investing in to save money. IVRs represent humans talking to computers, something that once seemed only within the realm of science fiction. Although they focus on different aspects of how technology impacts communication, both Kelly (2008) and Seabrook (2008) highlight some of the most important ways our world is changing thanks to technology. Human beings are interacting with technology on an unprecedented level, which is leading to fundamental changes in society and human interactions.

Kelly (2008) discusses the change that technology...

New media makes the printed word less important than it once was. Now, visual images and other multimedia experiences are just as important in communication. Today there has been a monumental change in media consumption, too, in that screens surround people wherever they go. Consumers are constantly bombarded by moving images, even when not in front of their television or computer screens. Even books are digitalized now, viewable on screens. Kelly (2008) describes the shift as being from book fluency to screen fluency, and from literacy to visuality. Consumers of media interact differently with books than with the Internet.
One difference between books and new media is that any user can now contribute to the canon of knowledge by starting a blog or uploading videos to YouTube. Knowledge is somewhat democratized, although there is a greater need for consumer…