Is writing a lost art or an obsolete skill?

Is writing a lost art or an obsolete skill in today’s technology driven world? I wonder this as I stretched out my arm to grab the forgotten diary to jot down my thoughts only to turn to the sticky notes app on my laptop. The mobile as our permanent accessory, the digital pen is always with us and more convenient to carry than a pocket diary and a pen. I personally miss scribbling my thoughts, my work and my to-do lists on notebooks and parchments on paper but the convenience of an app or a word doc triumphs these sporadic urges and old habits. At work, the argument lies in efficiency but of late the argument also validates in a world where you can share, edit and update grocery lists (cue:Wunderlist). Alas, then it would seem that ‘manual’ writing is now only a creative pursuit, a skill survived by those who feel their thoughts flow more freely with the organic feel of the pen on paper. Then again, personal writing is confined to the covers of a personal journal whereas professional writing is increasingly digitalized. I don’t have the luck of knowing any writer but considering that manuscripts undergo several edits before making it to the publishing house, it seems ideal for authors to be typing their work over penning their thoughts. It’s also easier for writers to find their genre of audience through digital social media. Blogposts, Fb posts and Tweets are the most popular ways of expressing one’s opinions publicly and additionally helps getting feedback on the same or generating a discussion. Since all the arguments are in favour of digitalization, are we looking ahead at a world with writing as a forgotten art and skill? Would the futuristic generation of school going kids be more excited about iJournals and beta versions of writing apps than the smell of new books and the joy of brand new and colourful stationery? Will qwerty takeover cursive writing? I, for one, have mixed feelings about writing losing its place in this world. Maybe reminiscing is for the old. For instance I don’t miss the radio though my parents still keep one in their bedroom with the antennae stretched high listening to FM. Maybe the digital ink will never fade while the writing on paper finds its way in museums as a bemusement for future generations on how we got by without speech to text, autocorrects and backspaces.