TRADITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

Author's coordinates: Babeș-Bolyai Tudományegyetem, Bölcsészettudományi Kar, Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca, str. Horea 31

Email: szikszaimaria@yahoo.com

The study examines the transitional period between paper-based correspondence and digitalcommunication, highlighting the transformation of the letter as a genre with the rise of digital culture. The research is based on a study conducted between 2013–2020 on traditional paper-based archives, which largely consist of letters, and on an online survey conducted in the summer of 2024, focusing on the current use of digital and paper-based correspondence. In the 20th century, paper-based correspondence was one of the most important means of personal and social communication, gradually being overtaken by digital communication in the 21st century. The study highlights that traditional letter writing was not only a means of information exchange but also had significant social, ritualistic, and personal importance. Letter writers often provided detailed accounts of life events, which not only served to maintain interpersonal relationships but also became cultural imprints of their respective eras. The study also points out that we are currently in a transitional period, and this change involves not only the transformation of technological tools but also a series of cultural shifts: the use of new technological tools changes the techniques of text composition, the relationship with the text, as electronic letters convey different content and in a different manner. The cultural value of letter writing is altered, timemanagement related to correspondence changes, and the aesthetic experience of handwriting and the sense of intimacy disappear. In their place, those who use electronic correspondence instead of traditional letters gain speed, practicality, and time-saving advantages.

Keywords: letter, digital culture, paper-based correspondence, transformation of communication, technological transition.

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