Habitual Rhetoric: Digital Writing Before Digital Technology

Digital writing has evolved from fingers and parchment to numbers and chips, but it has its roots in handwritten cultures of early medieval universities. Habitual Rhetoric argues that these embodied habits have persisted and can challenge computational cultures of disinformation and surveillance.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 19 September 2023
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

Writing has always been a digital process, with digits scribbling with quills or tapping typewriters to compose binary code and produce text on screens. However, over time, digital writing has been defined by numbers and chips rather than fingers and parchment. This shift has led to the creation of new writing habits, such as copying, pasting, and sharing.

While it is commonly believed that digital writing began with the invention of the computer, there is evidence to suggest that it had its roots in the handwritten cultures of early medieval universities. These universities codified rhetorical habits through repetitive classroom practices and within annotatable manuscript environments. These embodied habits have persisted across time and space, shaping durable dispositions known as habitus.

Habitual Rhetoric argues that these embodied habits have the potential to challenge computational cultures of disinformation and surveillance that pervade the social media of today. By returning to the practices of handwritten culture, we can develop new ways of thinking and writing that are more resistant to the algorithms and data-driven systems that dominate our digital lives.

In conclusion, while digital writing has evolved with the advent of technology, it is important to recognize the enduring influence of handwritten cultures on the development of writing habits and dispositions. By embracing these embodied practices, we can create new ways of thinking and writing that are more resilient to the challenges of the digital age.

Weight: 532g
Dimension: 159 x 237 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780822947837