IS THIS “THE MOST LITERATE AGE IN HISTORY”?

IS THIS “THE MOST LITERATE AGE IN HISTORY”? Simon Kuper in the weekend Financial Times March 23-24) took the opposite position from those who think writing is on the way out, saying that: “We’re now the most literate age in history.” The basis for his claim is that with the widespread use of e mail and, now, Facebook and Twitter, people who never communicated by writing or now doing so and that: “…writing is overtaking speech as the most common form of interaction.” Kuper also argues that the use of the new media is making writing—in journalism, books and business communications—more conversational and therefore better.