How to Kill a Writer’s Blood and Sweat With One Simple Click

Have we sunk so low that a computer-generated voice is the only way to earn money on Medium?

I’ve already published a story on this subject because I was so hopping mad, but two weeks later, reading, then listening to, this poem by Thomas Plummer compels me to repeat my rant.

His words evoked deep emotions and transported me to a place we all seek — home. When we read a novel, an essay, or a poem, the writer’s voice, though silent, echoes in our hearts as we interpret and weave the narrative into our own experience.

Press the Listen button, and his poem dies — lost in the monotony of a toneless voice without passion or emotional intelligence.

WTF — I’ve seen writers encourage fellow writers, and readers, to listen. Others complain that listening time is shorter than reading time — so what?

I write because I want people to read my words.

Who in their write mind (pun intended) would want their creation transformed into a mechanical, emotionless, soulless, lifeless, impersonal rendition of what took hours to craft?

Is this what writing has become? A robotic, flat rendition that kills the writer’s voice and tone?

Let’s analyse this screenshot on Medium’s Help page about the text-to-speech facility.

• As a writer, I would love to narrate my writing — the cadence, the rhythm, the flow, the intention, the intonation — but this option is not available.
• As a writer, I would love to disable the Listen button on my stories and poems — but this option is not available.

“We believe that text-to-speech will help more people gain access to great writing on Medium.”

Whaaat? If they are referring to people who are visually impaired, real people narrate audio books for the blind — either voice-over actors or the author. Only real people can convey tone and emotion; pause in natural places; change speed, pitch and cadence to draw you in.

Computer-generated voices kill great writing.

• The rotten carrot Medium dangles is that writers can earn more during this experiment (the italics are mine) as they’ll factor in listening time.

How low has Medium sunk that they punt this Listen function?

Has the Brave New World arrived where the World State revolves around technology and efficiency? Where emotions and individuality are conditioned out of us? Where the belief is that artificial intelligence can replace human individuality?

We see it creeping in with digital art, where the passion and integrity of a true artist no longer matters.

And now this platform degrades our writing with robotic voices far removed from the lived experiences of being human — our joys and sorrows, regrets and hopes for better tomorrows, the full spectrum of emotions which only a human voice can express.

Sadly, according to Medium’s terms and conditions

“Unless otherwise agreed in writing, by submitting, posting, or displaying content on or through the Services, you grant Medium a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully paid, and sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform and display your content and any name, username or likeness provided in connection with your content in all media formats and distribution methods now known or later developed on the Services.”

So now we are stuck with TTS (Text-to-speech) as a media format over which we have no say.

Despite that, I’ll stay. But I pray one day soon they’ll drop this ghastly experiment or at least allow writers, especially poets, to disable the Listen function.

All I ask of you, dear reader, is to keep reading and not allow technology to kill a writer’s blood and sweat.

I couldn’t resist featuring this song from my youth by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention

Thank you for being here.