Paperless World: What does handwriting even mean?

When was the last time you wrote a full length page? Wrote, not typed. With increasing innovation and adoption of technology, are we evolving towards a stage where writing will become more or less redundant? Are we moving towards a completely paperless world?

Writing letters seems ancient and email/messaging is the only way we know how to communicate if not speaking directly. Writing a letter is so in the past that it is now actually used as a technique to impress women. “He gave me a hand-written letter. Look how far he went. He must really care about me”, admits the girl. Most of us have stopped taking notes by scribbling on notebooks. I have seen college classrooms in the developed world where 90% students were typing instead of writing notes. I can hardly think about a situation where I must necessarily write. For example, we don’t even write cheques anymore. We just transfer the cash electronically or swipe our plastic cards. I no longer write post-its. I prefer to use a to-do list application on my phone that also sends reminders.

Another hint that we have stopped writing is that I find it difficult to remember when I had bought my last pen. I can hardly find one these days. I was once in a situation where I had to ask a potential client to lend me a pen. The only time I now write is on a white-board when I am brainstorming with my team. For that too, there are now online solutions (such as Conceptboard and many tablet applications) that allow you to create virtual boards that you can print and share.  

Sometimes I fear, I will forget how to write or I will not recognize my own handwriting. Maybe a time will come where only students who have to learn to write, will write. But I am also reading about these schools where iPads are being used to educate students. Exams are already going online. Maybe writing will eventually become one of those subjects which a student must learn but will not really use in this lifetime. Will teachers now praise students for their choice of font types rather than their handwriting?

Another similar trend is the declining use of paper. Although I am a book lover, I must acknowledge the fact that I will eventually have to move on to something like Kindle. It is operationally cheaper, easier to carry while travelling, and hopefully many trees will be saved. We now carry less cash (a form of paper) and more plastic. I personally prefer online media over newspapers and magazines. With increased online security, banks and companies may discontinue the practice of keeping hardcopies as back-up.  

It is difficult to imagine a paperless world. Even more difficult is to imagine the thought that the basic skills of writing, which first defined that we were right- or left-handed, will eventually become redundant. However, it seems this is a reality that we may witness sooner than we realize.