ince the internet exploded into households around the world and rocketed the contents into cyberspace, information technology in general has become something of a black hole, swallowing long-established methods of information, communication and entertainment into a Central Resource for Everything: whatever we need or want, simply turn on a device and, voilà, in moments it is before us, without so much as getting off our already under-exercised derrières.

So what does the future hold for paper, our predominant information medium since 2nd-Century China? Books are holding strong, but for how long? Publications already have their online versions, so a logical conclusion is that paper will soon disappear into this virtual galaxy, taking with it a plethora of seductive charms: the scratch and rhythm of pen and ink across a sheet of quality handmade, the comforting rustle of a broadsheet cocoon, and even the desire, need and ability to read a book, not to mention the time and application that such pursuits require.

Will e-paper, with its blend of digital flexibility and the feel of physical paper, bridge the chasm between old and new? People may take to this compromise but, if they follow the easiest and most convenient route (which they usually do), then e-paper may well be little more than a bright idea as existing devices take over.

So what becomes of the ‘paperless office’? This concept seems to remain notional as people consume even more paper by printing out e-mails, web pages etc. Of course, this could be no more than a transitional phase practised by luddites who have a foot in both camps; those who value a piece of paper between their hands and before their eyes, despite the undeniable pull and benefits of information technology.

Perhaps the paperless office belongs to the generations being raised within the cradle of information technology. Those highchair cherubs who can navigate an electronic device/virtual landscape with the prowess of a seasoned explorer of Amundsen or Thesiger proportions; who respond to immediacy and things that ‘do,’ such as computer games and voice-activated gadgets, rather than things that ‘don’t’, such as books and board games - things that require something from their users to reveal their joys; things that are fostered and accrue and pay later dividends, not least being face-to-face inter-personal skills.

Has the eco-friendly paperless office merely been postponed? Will it help protect the world's forests or merely confer paper’s market share to other hungry harvesters? Ultimately, how long before information technology absorbs not just everything but everyone, and we are digitised into a mainframe, Lawnmowerman-style, living a virtual life in a virtual world?

Oh, well, just a thought. Now, please excuse me while I print this out for a final reading…

Posted by Helen at 9:08 AM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment