Page 155 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

and they are the skills we practice the most in the academic, work, social and leisure fields. Orality is also an instrument of learning, a tool we use to transmit knowledge, give instructions, exchange opinions, deliver papers, etc.
In this regard, the digital environment facilitates, supports and promotes this two-way commu- nication based on oral speech. The spectacular growth in video channels is a good example of this new age of orality and reflects the interest of audiences of all types and ages who use these sources to find practical information and aca- demic knowledge, wisdom or thoughts related to refreshment training, or escapism through the possibilities fiction offers.
As for the acquisition of oral skills, we generally learn to talk in the family environment, before starting school. We therefore already know how to speak by the time we go to school,
but although oral language is initially learned spontaneously and is based chiefly on imitation, the school and other education centres must provide individuals with opportunities to perfect their manner of oral expression and help them communicate correctly and effectively.
The digital environment also offers myriad opportunities for improving our oral expression and teaching ourselves to listen, be it through the abovementioned video channels, various applications, fiction tales including sounds, music and different types of locutions, or through audiobooks, stories told orally and designed specially to be listened to.
These varied digital possibilities are valuable tools for enabling people to learn more about and improve their handling of oral codes, and to be aware of the different registers and conven- tions of the medium. These tools will later help children, young people and adults to cope more consciously and critically in oral communication contexts and to also enjoy these situations as issuers and recipients.
These digital resources help us to cultivate and enrich listening experiences, to communicate and express ourselves more attractively and concisely, as well as to establish fluent dialogue, to adapt communication to a particular context and to use linguistic and non-linguistic codes and skills actively and effectively. In short, they allow us to progress and acquire greater skills in expressing and understanding the oral messages that are exchanged in diverse communicative situations.
This exercise in alternating the roles of speaker and listener, which the digital environment encourages, also fosters the development of cooperative tasks, respect and teamwork. Cul- tivating good listening skills is no trivial matter: learning when to talk and knowing when to be silent are also essential factors for success in
any oral communication. We would be quite mistaken to think that someone who listens, like someone who reads, is adopting a passive role
in the act of communication. On the contrary, listening to someone speaking or reading what an author has written requires an active attitude on the part of the listener or reader and the performance of a series of complex operations to receive and understand the message.
Lastly, in relation to the contents of this section, it is worth re-examining a phenomenon that is evidently expanding – the increasing supply of audiobooks in Spain, which we have discussed
in previous sections. Although podcasts are well received in this country, so far the market has not shown many signs of developing audiobooks in particular. Despite several past attempts, this product had not really caught on among Span- iards until only recently. Nevertheless, the trends indicate that the recent emergence of digital audiobooks could mark the permanent establish- ment of this particular form of reading.
The advent of various platforms that distribute and provide access to collections of audiobooks, such as the newcomer Storytel, is pointing to
a change of trend in the establishment of this
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Readers in the digital age