Orality vs. Literacy vs. "Digitality"

In class, we examined the contrasting aspects of societies based upon primary orality and those based upon literacy. In terms of communication, prior to the construct of written language, primary orality implies that all information (social, cultural, scientific or otherwise) is passed through the spoken word. The beginnings of literacy, the written word, it's passing of information and means of communication began in the Western world with the Greek Alphabet. The transition allowed for the transfer of valuable information across greater time and space as well as allowing for the spread of ideas and innovation.It also is a more isolating means of communication, literate peoples and cultures receive information through text which reads indie their own heads. It is however more sophisticated than primary orality because more information and knowledge can be written and distributed than could have ever been only spoken through memory. Both are means of communication are associated with sound whether it is spoken out loud or sound connects to meaning while reading in your head. This is what makes both orality and literacy so vastly different from "digitality" which
seems to have taken over western culture within the last several years. With the vast and normalized use of computers, smart phones, and tablets, we have access to unfathomable quantities of information, but much of the "reading" that goes on here is purely visual... and instantaneous. This brings up the question; Are we more sophisticated in our "digitality" than those in our past who's communication relied on literacy? In terms of technology, there is no question. We can access and process more information as well as distribute it on an unprecedented scale. But in terms of what we can do as individuals with our minds, we have fallen far behind our predecessors. Take for example, the McGuffey Reader books, which were used to teach children how to read and write originally published in the 1830s. These books were some of the most widely used teaching materials in America for decades for grades 1-6. If we take a look at eh complex and involved teaching plans and passages in these books, we might see our present day children falling far behind the grade level set in the books. I believe this is partially to do with the instant accession of information in picture or visual form available to today's children. If they want to know something, they can just do a quick google search on the topic and can almost always find exactly what they need to know in a condensed form often with visual aid. This discourages in-depth reading and information seeking about a topic in my opinion and gives less incentive for students and young people to rely on their own resourcefulness for knowledge about a topic.