I was particularly struck by Italo Calvino’s observations about our current relationship with language outlined in the chapter “Exactitude” from Six Memos for the Next Millennium. He expresses his frustrations with the lack of precision and intentionality behind our words, a “plague” that extends beyond language to images and more generally to our world as well. Calvino prescribes literature as the solution to this plague.

In an age during which the internet and digital media are becoming more prevalent, perhaps at the expense of literature, I think Calvino raises an important concern. Precise language and description in writing have been overtaken by the 140-character tweet and the 6-second vine. There is a level of depth and thought that can be lost in this transition. Calvino explains that his annoyance with the careless use of language surfaces most when he listens to himself speak. This is why he prefers writing over speech: writing can be revised multiple times over until exactitude is achieved. Speech does not afford the same opportunity for revision. I believe this comparison between writing and speech parallels the same loss of exactitude we see from writing to digital media today. With the click of a button, a spontaneous thought becomes a post available for the world to see. It follows from this immediacy that digital content often lacks the thought and precision that can be achieved through writing and revising. 

I found it interesting that the issues Calvino was able to highlight in the 80s have only become more prevalent today. In our present day, the digital media presents a new layer to the challenge of maintaining the importance of exactitude. Is literature still the right tool to tackle this challenge? As our world becomes more high-speed, is it more important to consider the source of the challenge (which Calvino stated he was unconcerned with)? How do we find the right balance between embracing our new technology and developments while still maintaining exactitude?