When I first saw the word “electrate” I have no idea what it is about so I tried to look it up in the dictionary. However, there is no such word in the entire dictionary! And I found out soon that I cannot find this new invented word in the old dictionary.
This is a new word invented by a theorist called Gregory Ulmer, which is the word “literate” in terms of technology. A writer Richard MacManus once had a definition of electracy, he said “Electracy is to computing what literacy is to print.” In brief, People who know how to read and write are literate; people know how to use electronic devices or technology are electrate. However, to become electrate not only means to be familiar to use computer, but also comfortable and capable to the use of technology. People need to have a board understanding of how computer works, rather just knowing how to click a mouse or learn Microsoft words.
We need to shift from literate to electrate as the rapid development of technology nowadays. As Ulmer says, there will “come a time when we are ‘native’ to the apparatus of electracy.” Literacy means school, concept and self, while electracy means internet, emblem and brand. In my opinion, it is a must to become electrate in the 21th century because many things has replaced by technology, “ilelectracy” people will be eliminate by the society!
reference
1. Internet Invention: From Literacy to Electracy by Gregory Ulmer
2. Professor Gobert
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electracy
4. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/electracy_comes.php
5. Professor Pine
6. http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/literacy.html
7. http://www.apocalypticmediations.com/hypertext/ulmerele.html
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