Though public speech has been present since the beginning of humanity, it was not until classical Roman times that rhetoric and the study of speech was noted. In Roman times, “delivery” was in reference to one’s verbal delivery of a speech and all other physical and tangible aspects of speech-giving. In terms of verbal delivery, the specific tone, language, and cadence of one’s delivery was looked upon with the utmost important, as this was pertinent to the persuasive aspect of a speech. However, one’s physical appearance (clothing, hair, etc.) was also relevant to the persuasiveness of a speech. These concepts were “lost” with the invention of the printing press and replication of writing. This invention took away the need for expressing all ideas verbally in a public setting, because its written form could be distributed more widely, giving more individuals access to such ideals.
In terms of economics, the transition of delivery ideals brought about new questions for Romans that remain relevant to the present-day delivery of information. These queries include understanding who one’s audience is, accessibility, and motivation for distribution or delivery. This also brought about questions regarding ownership of ideas and intellectual property. Along with the rise of interconnectivity online, access to information and one’s ability to distribute has brought about discussions of what individuals may truly own information and issues of copyright. Just as the printing press can easily replicate information, so can anyone with access to the web.
One example of how I have personally considered economics in my own writing and delivery is working within online templates for social media posts. Though I may have created a design or document within a program myself, I wonder if I truly have ownership over the design, or if it belongs more the the program–or maybe its shared. Though there are no copyrighting concerns on my end, reading Porter’s work on the aspect of economics brought me to question this.
Here’s my question: Who do you think truly owns template-based designs? Why?
Intro to Digital Texts and Media 