The changing nature of writing: Ink on paper vs. Pixels on screen

In The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn Hamming explains the phenomenon produced by the introduction of manches, automation, and digitalization to a process.

In the case of manufacturing, for example, he posits that the shift to automated manufacturing isn't merely about reproducing what was done manually but in a more efficient way. It fundamentally changes the nature of the product being made. He stresses that successful mechanization requires a redesign of the product and process rather than a direct replication of the manual method.

When we first passed from hand accounting to machine accounting we found it necessary, for economical reasons if no other, to somewhat alter the accounting system. Similarly, when we passed from strict hand fabrication to machine fabrication we passed from mainly screws and bolts to rivets and welding. It has rarely proved practical to produce exactly the same product by machines as we produced by hand. Indeed, one of the major items in the conversion from hand to machine production is the imaginative redesign of an equivalent product. Thus in thinking of mechanizing a large organization, it won't work if you try to keep things in detail exactly the same, rather there must be a larger give-and-take if there is to be a significant success.

I think this phenomenon is often overlooked. We don't put that much thought into the fundamental changes between doing things on a physical medium vs. doing them on a digital one.

There are the holy wards between those that prefer printed books and the ones that swear by digital books.

Yet the digital book in plenty of cases is cheap attempt to produce the same experience as reading a real book.

https://every.to/p/in-pursuit-of-a-better-book

I believe this is caused by our bias (?) to see automation and digitalization as always a positive change. Thus we look at the pros and the things we gain but we ignore the cons and that what we lose.

What do we gain and what do we lose in the transition from writing ink on paper to pixels on screen?

When writing digitally we gain speed; we can edit, undo, and redo as much as we'd like; there are plenty auxiliary tools available, like spell check or translation; text can be indexed and easily searched; it doesn't take up space, at least not us much as paper does.

But there are things we lose as well. Ink on paper is immutable, thus the process of writing is often separated from the editing. In the digital medium we can edit as we write, it is easy then to mix the two and do it all at once.

Paper imposes less restrictions to the format of the writing, we can add a note in the margin, arrows connecting two different paragraphs. Even with a more constrained format, like a typewriter, we can still take a pen and add a note between the lines if we wanted to.

Since we can't write as fast with pen and paper our brain can take the time to process and think things true. Studies show retention is increased when handwriting.

The digital realm is also prone to distractions, since those are a click or a push notification away.

It is much more portable as well, I'm writing this on the phone in Telegram, walking around the pond while my dog gets lost in the bushes. On the other hand, writing on paper means a more intentional setup, often sitting down (unless you are madman).

Paper is also much more personal and intimate, mass distribution is seldom the goal when putting ink on paper.