ABSTRACT
In the 21st century, literacy is part of almost every human activity. Both grandly public and personal activities are now influenced by written documents and are organized with reference to distant systems of government, law, economy, religion, news, knowledge, and entertainment. We carry out complex activities and projects that would be impossible without the recorded knowledge, planning, and coordination enabled by writing. Rockets that travel to distant space as well as the automobile on the road beside you rely on devices and components dependent on literacy for design, distribution, installation, operation, regulation, and repair.
