What do you think the average literacy level is in the UCAS, or other countries in 2070? It seems as though the Matrix's reliance on image and the media's move to full-sensory entertainment would make reading for fun a thing of the past. Not to mention the fact that the Megas want to keep their future drones only as smart as they need to be to do the job they've been assigned (possibly before birth).

This would leave me to think that literacy would really only be available for the affluent who took it up as a hobby, or as a "retro" chic.

But what does the board think?

The first chapter of Unwired addresses this, but I can't recall the exact numbers, only the genral trend that written language is on the decline and 'Matrixese' - an icon-based pseudolanguage is becoming more common.

If you've seen "WALL-E", you have a good idea of what is used for the Icono-literacy.