Today in 1984, Miss Manners responded to a question concerning the use of a computer for the first time.
A reader asked Judith Martin, the author of the syndicated column about personal etiquette, whether it was appropriate to use a word processor to type out personal correspondence. Miss Manners replied that it’s inappropriate, that envelops addressed using dot-matrix printers may be mistaken for sweepstakes entries, and that if friends find out that portions of letters have been recycled, there will be no more correspondence.
I asked ChatGPT for its opinion regarding this advice and here’s what I got (a small portion of its long answer, as GPT stands for Great Parrot Talkativeness):
It's important to remember that societal attitudes toward technology and communication have evolved significantly since 1984. In today's world, email, word processing, and digital communication are standard practices, and the use of computers for personal correspondence is widespread and generally accepted. Technology has become an integral part of how we communicate, and many people value the convenience and efficiency it offers.
I also entered Martin’s advice in WordTune, a writing assistance tool based on a large language model from AI21, and selected “explain” (WordTune has a number of “spices” that aim to “enrich your text with creative expressions” such as explain, counterargument, give an example, give an analogy, make a joke):
Miss Manners noted that the use of a word processor can make the letter feel impersonal and that it could lead to a misunderstanding that the writer is trying to enter a sweepstakes. Additionally, recycling portions of letters to different people can lead to the recipients feeling as though the writer is not putting in the effort to craft a genuine letter for them.
Selecting “counterargument,” I got: “However, some people might argue that recycling letters is more efficient because it saves time and effort.”