This book puts into perspective our complicated, still-expanding hate-love relationship with computers and the internet, delineating how the digital revolution affects our reading and writing practices, and how the latest ICT-technologies differ from the previous ones. The work also examines the new genres launched by the computer: e-mail, instant messaging, websites, blogging, social-networking pages like MySpace and Facebook, and teamwise produced texts like Wikipedia, the Urban Dictionary, and of course YouTube. Here then is a fascinating history of our tangled dealings with a wide range of writing instruments, from ancient papyrus to the modern laptop. With dozens of illustrations and many colorful anecdotes, the book will enthrall anyone interested in language, literacy, or writing.