Experiences of writing on smartphones, laptops and paper in the digital age

This chapter articulates a theoretical framework that helps understand what it means ‘to write’ in the digital age. It investigates how mobile devices are changing the way people engage in written communication. Changes in media practices have raised issues of how screen writing, on devices like smartphones, might be hindering the process of acquiring adequate writing skills, particularly among the younger generation. The chapter focuses on how people, when engaging with different media to write, perceive their experiences. Three types of writing practices – handwriting, keyboard typing and touch screen typing – are compared with regard to how mobility, space and context shape writing practices. The study differentiates between personal and professional experiences and also considers the physical space in which people are situated when they write as well as the accessibility of the writing medium.