In Lanham’s text, “What’s next for text” (http://www.rhetoricainc.com/eofa/e_of_a/index.html) he puts emphasis on the evolution of text. He says, “We want to bring the world of literacy, and all that literacy brings with it, into the world of objects of oral conversation.” I believe that our world today is strongly affected by new technologies that are constantly being produced. There is always some company striving to make a newer and better product than the last. Innovative products such as Laptops, Cell Phones, iPads, Kindles, iTouch, Tablets etc. all offer a variety of different features, however the main and most important quality amongst all of them is the notion of text and how one can surf the web, send an email, read an online news article, download a PDF etc. through this product.

I myself have a Kindle and I must say that I love it. I am an avid reader and when the Kindle made its first appearance I was obsessed. Ordering books on amazon.com and being able to read them on a device that was a lot more efficient than a book seemed not only reasonable but also “cool” and a must have. I feel as though through new innovations, text in our future will only become more and more important. These devices don’t only offer text but pictures and icons and apps that go along with it. Through this more and more attention and interest will be drawn to the text. Tufte makes this point in, “Visual Explanations” (https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/tp0.lc5116001/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct) where he talks about the power of pictures when associated with a text: “…designs also blend words and images into a memorable and distinctive account, reinforced by the text of the caption and the accompanying article.” Lanham also makes a similar comment in saying that things that were originated in text and transformed into text on a computer or other device are still has important and beautiful as they once were, but now just more efficient ex. Math equations in a notebook vs. math equations on a computer.

In the discussion of Stuff and Fluff, consumers are convinced that the newest product that comes out is the most necessary and absolute best product. Yes, we all need stuff, but not everything that comes out is necessary and in today’s society text is always advancing through these new devices. Apple is a huge product producer and is so successful because of the way they advance text through their devices. I once again love my Kindle and how text is used with new advancements. There are always different ways to make text more interesting and one of the most popular and most efficient ways is through product and technology advancement. Everyday something else is being thought of, made, and produced to make text evolve even more and benefit consumers more than the last product did.