A New Literacy for the New Electronic Public Commons By Michael Hauben Literacy has changed over the ages as humans have developed technology. Along with the advancement of writing technology, the range of distribution has spread for written materials. With the rise of computers, word processing, and most importantly the world wide network of computers known as the Net, there is a new literacy needed to access and contribute to the new distribu- tion of writing and communications. Early writing technology included the development of clay tablets and wedge implements, moved to papyrus and ink and then to parchment, paper and ink. (Bolter, p. 34) Each development of technology broadened the availability and skills needed to be literate in that writing system. Clay is heavy and difficult to work on, making it difficult and expensive to make multiple copies of a text. Papyrus was easier to write on, but still a scarce medium in comparison to what came later. Each development, with parchment and then paper, made it easier for more people to purchase or work the raw materials crucial to the final product of writing. The development and spread of the printing press made mass distribution of written works a reality. Books left the singular domains of monasteries, kings' libraries and the libraries of the State. (Eisenstein, p. 12) As a result of printing, paperbacks are cheap and easily available in bookstores, or books are widely available to borrow from public libraries. Where the development of the printing press has been called evolutionary (Eisenstein, p. 13), the development of computers and the world wide computer communications network might be called revolutionary (Hauben). What is revolu- tionary is that in a historically short time span of 16 to 26 years, the Internet and Usenet have been born and widely spread through all the developed countries in the world, and many of the developing countries. The ability to access information, and to contribute to information and more importantly widespread communication and distribution is available very inexpensively. Used computers and modems can be purchased for between $100 to $500, and if the person is located near a community network like a freenet, the connec- tion to the Internet only costs a phone call. Otherwise commercial business selling access to the Internet called Internet Service Providers can cost between $10 and $50 a month, and commercial networks like Compuserve, America On-line and Prodigy can cost more depending if you use premium services where you pay by time rather than a flat fee. Because of the inexpensive nature of the technology, access is more often dictated by computer literacy then by availability to technology. However, there will always be a segment of the population who either cannot afford the technology, or to whom it would be unprofitable to provide Internet service. It is thus crucial for society to decide that it is important to make access to the Internet equally available. Only in that instance will the benefit be available to all, if training is also included. The literacy, or basic set of skills needed to be a fully functioning member of the on-line community, consists of several levels. There is a mechanical level of literacy of being familiar and capable with input and output devices such as keyboards, mice, screens, and printed output. There is a technical literacy in understanding of basic computer concepts and forms to help approach different software. And finally there is a more abstract literacy. This literacy could best be called playfulness or curiosity. It is important to be able to explore the computer and the on-line world. Without exploration and "playing" on the computer, the user of the computer will never find what the documentation writers forget to include in computer manuals, or how one program differs from another program. This abstract literacy was defined by the original computer-based meaning of the term 'hacking'. To 'hack' meant to explore the computer and computer networks and to explore ways to fully utilize the resources of this new machine. Without a propensity to explore what the computer can do, the user is stuck with the options others give him or her. There is a new profession known as net training, where the trainers seek to help provide this literacy. The new age of computer communications whether privately from individual to individual via e-mail or publicly from an individual to many via Usenet and mailing lists has spawned a new literacy. In addition to the literacy of skills and curiosity, there is a set of social literacies that have developed over time. With the growth of the number of people on-line and the development of virtual communities, whether localized or globalized, various conventions of communications have developed. Since text leaves out visual cues, people have begun to use formations called smileys to provide a way to show visual cues like smiles, frowns or confusion. New words and meanings are developing as people use the new medium to communicate. Compendiums of new words and knowledge have developed which sometimes only exist on the Network. Social rules have been developed to help mediate a shared space. Many of these developments take place on-line and are only available off-line as an after- thought, or by other individuals who are looking for a way to make money. Literacy used to be passed on from the older generations to the younger generations (Mead). We are in a period of time where the younger generations are being introduced to the new technologies and thus learning to understand the nuances and ways of utilizing the computer. It is the children who can teach the adults how to use and understand the technology. A student from Japan suggested the need to form an association to help people to learn how to use the technologies. His concern was especially to assist people in learning how to navigate and communicate over the Internet and Usenet. It would be useful for such an association or organization to form to which people could work together towards learning the new literacy. The challenge to our society is to decide to strength itself by empowering its people by providing univer- sal service and training in the new literacy. REFERENCES Bolter, Jay David. (1991). Writing Space: The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. (1993). The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hauben, Michael (1992). "The Expanding Commonwealth of Learning." Chapter 13 in Michael Hauben & Ronda Hauben (1994) Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet. available on-line WWW: . Mead, Margaret (1978). Culture and Commitment: The New Relationships Between the Generations in the 1970s. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books/Doubleday.