From primary orality to third orality: Cultural and cognitive transformations in the digital age

Abstract

Communication technologies have profoundly transformed human culture and cognition, from the primary orality of non-literate societies to the current third orality mediated by digital platforms. Primary orality was characterized by immediacy, community participation, and intense sensory integration, all supported by collective memory. The invention of the phonetic alphabet and the printing press marked the beginning of a visual culture that promoted linear thinking and individualism, displacing the integra­ted sensory experience of oral communication. Today, third orality emerges as a hybrid phenomenon that integrates visual, auditory, and interactive elements within a global digital environment. Platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and audiobooks not only amplify the participatory features of primary orality but also transform communication by blurring the boundaries between sender and receiver. These technologies foster multimodal and interactive communication, redefining both content creation and human subjectivity within a technologically mediated framework. Far from being relegated, reading adapts to this new orality through transmedia formats and community-based practices, turning the reader into an active participant and consolidating a dynamic communicative ecosystem that combines oral, written, and digital modes into a shared and immersive experience.