👽Dyamond👽

In Hausler’s article, 7 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about Accessibility, he talks about seven main ideas that can help make web content more accessible to all users, including users with disabilities. Unfortunately, some users may not be able to access or perceive content as well as others due to having some type of visual, auditory, and/or cognitive disability. The idea of this article is to ensure web content is understandable and appealing to all users from different backgrounds.  One of the ideas the author points out is to make sure the overall product is designed for a diverse set of users. How the outline is formed and presented should be considered for every user to be able to fully perceive and comprehend. Things such as color use efficiency, sufficient contrast between text and background, and visible labels are examples of helpful context based ideas that help web product become more accessible to more users.

In Kaur’s article Accessibility guidelines for UX Designers, she discusses similar content from the previous article; the importance of implementing proper accessibility requirements to improve the products of web design. She talks about understanding the meaning of accessibility and following the guidelines that should be tagged with it. When creating web design, certain things should be taken into consideration like the content and structure, independent device design, caution with animation, and more. Similar to the first article, she brings up how when designing a product, people with disabilities should be taken into consideration and they should be able to comfortably access these platforms just like any other user.

I thought these articles about accessibility were interesting because I never really  thought of ensuring this when creating web content. This is definitely something that needs to be promoted and shared more with designers to make sure they are taking everyone into account.

In the video “Dana Boyd on the Spread of Conspiracies and Hate Online”, she talks about how the use of search engines and connection with social media is contributing to the uprise of conspiracies and hate worldwide. She talks about how people look for information through different data sources but when we can’t find information about something, that’s when we see people coining or making up terms, then that is when the conspiracy theories begin. People can easily be influenced by the wrong people or information and stories can be altered just from an event that happens in a town or city.  It is the private corporations or fake people who give false information via the internet and social media to let people hear or believe what they wish to believe. I think the main takeaway from this video is that data from media sources can be used in beneficial or maleficent ways, depending on how it is spread. If we want it to be more beneficial, something needs to change with our economic system and government demands with how the internet and social media is used.

I chose this GIF above to visually represent the cycle of hate from people online but also the love that can be spread through social media as well. The modes I used to explain the video was visual using the GIF and linguistic through the explanation of text. 

In the reading by Estee Beck, he talks about what “sharing” means on social media. He talks about how social media is an outlet to influence people to share information with each other within global and local communities. But the problem with people sharing on social media is that it is often discreetly shared through the idea of capitalism. Sharing is built off by ownership and control , and this makes sense because when you think about it, people can make a profit just by sharing their lives through social media. For example, you can literally make a living just by being an instagram or youtube influencer if you gain enough monthly subscribers/followers. He also mentions the idea of prosumerism, which has been developed in the 1980s, and talks about civilization’s development within 3 waves; agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, and informational age. These developments have led us to where we stand today within a technological and media based era. The main idea of prosumerism, is that it is a sharing culture, with consumer products and goods developing over time through social media outlets. It is something that has evolved and developed over time within society and will continue to grow. People who share content through social media sites, such as instagram and twitter, are considered active prosumers and probably do not realize it, which I thought was really interesting.

I thought the article, What is Rhetorical about Digital Rhetoric?, was interesting because it talked about the opinions of many scholars and graduate professors from Indiana University on what the term “rhetoric” means to them. It was kind of amusing to see how professional people within this field had trouble identifying the meaning of digital rhetoric. It was definitely surprising to see professionals who are involved in digital media and fields related to this topic having a hard time answering this question. It shows how digital rhetoric can be a complex term, having many different meanings, that it can be difficult to explain it from just one perspective or meaning. Personally, I find that it can be challenging to pinpoint the true meaning of rhetoric sometimes because it can have so many different characteristics.

At the Indiana Digital Rhetoric Symposium (IDRS), they conduct meetings that go in depth about how to define digital rhetoric and how it can be utilized within different fields. From these meetings, everyone discovers that digital rhetoric is a far more diverse term than they expected and it is interchangeable word, meaning the definition is constantly changing over time. Digital rhetoric is something that is shaping our culture, research, different fields of science and so much more. This article shows how digital rhetoric is being displayed and used for many different purposes. Understanding the key concepts and ideas of digital rhetoric is crucial because it is something that will just keep evolving over time and will be used from every scope.

I thought it was also interesting how the article mentions rhetoric pertaining to the idea of it being a “digital art”. I can see this view point because rhetoric itself is basically the “art” of persuasion. Without rhetoric, our arguments and view points would not be as strong and/or convincing. Rhetoric itself is the baseline from how we experience things and communicate our opinions and ideas to others through different outlets. 

I chose this GIF to represent the visual mode of evolution from a multimodal perspective. This shows how digital rhetoric is evolving and changing over time within different aspects and culture. The text shows the linguistic mode because it shows the form of writing I used explaining the article and my general thoughts about it. 

In the article Rhetoric, Knowledge, and “The brute facts of nature” in Science Research, the author talks about the correlation between rhetoric and the creation of scientific knowledge. Certain research argues that the use of rhetoric can be utilized to argue scientific claims. Some scholars believe that rhetoric contributes to the development of knowledge within all disciplines, including science, as mentioned. But others do not agree with this idea because they suggest that facts are evidence of science and they come before human experience. I understand this viewpoint but at the same time, we wouldn’t be able to find or discover these facts without some type of experience. Google wasn’t always around for us to be able to look up information for “fast knowledge.”

I also do believe that science, just like most things in life, use the idea of rhetoric when they present an argument to share new discoveries. Rhetoric is about experiences and the use of persuasion and with science, not everyone will believe your argument right away. For example, even though we all know that there are 4 seasons per year, someone in the past had to go out and experience and learn it since they didn’t have google, as I mentioned previously.

The article also mentions the idea of metonymy, which is similar to a metaphor, and how it relates to rhetoric and the development of new ideas. It was interesting to read how different scholars connected different types of knowledge to the use of rhetoric and metonymy. When talking about string theory, they mention how the result of metonymic language will eventually be evidence of the idea of a real “thing” or event. The practice of rhetoric can be useful in science when people have their own knowledge and ideas of things, even when it can be difficult to prove the real thing.

I chose this GIF because in The Fault in our Stars, Gus, one of the main characters, puts a cigarette in his mouth and pretends to smoke, even though he's never actually lit one. He has cancer, which makes it an ironic metaphor.  This represents the idea of metonymy, as talked about in the text. The GIF represents a visual mode from a multimodal perspective and the text shows the linguistic mode, explaining the use of rhetoric in the development of science. 

In the first article, “On Multimodal Composing”, the author talks about what we share within composing processes that are formed by our spaces. There are different forms of composing, such as handwriting and typing, and there are various spaces to where composing can happen, such as a sticky note, laptop, smart phone, and/or any type of mobile device. Multiply forms of composing can happen simultaneously, for example, many students bring a laptop to class but also bring a notebook to take extra notes as well. Sometimes composing requires collaborating with others, like for a group project, most students can use google docs or google slides to communicate. The author talks about how composing is tied to our everyday life and experiences. Pretty much everything we do involves some type of composing interactions with others or for ourselves. Composing is a multimodal act, meaning that it is a continuing process while being actively involved with other everyday activities. It is something that has evolved and adapted to today’s society. People from the past and in the present and their experiences influence what, how, and why we write or compose everyday.

Technology advancing throughout time has helped shape where we are when it comes to writing processes in today’s society. Personally, I can relate to the article in a way that I like to listen to music and work on my school work at the same time for motivation or sometimes I will go to a different environment, just to focus better.

I thought the other article, “Women, Rhetoric, and Politics on Pinterest,''was kind of interesting because I use Pinterest daily and I never thought about it in a political sense. Rhetorical engagements are used every day through social media sites, such as PInterest, just from a simple like or comment. This is also an example of a multimodal space because people can create visual arguments or opinions, while others can share, like, and/or comment their opinion about it. The author talks about how Pinterest is considered a “gendered rhetorical space”, leaning towards women. I thought it was interesting how research shows that females and males use the same space, Pinterest, but in different ways and it’s already proven that Pinterest is female dominated, which is not surprising at all. For example, it said that women tend to use Pinterest for keeping track of products and services we are interested in verse men that tend to use it for a “collection of their taste.” This makes sense because a lot of women love Pinterest for ideas on cooking/baking, projects, life hacks, and so much more.

Chapter 5 of Selber’s, Multiliteracies for a digital age, talks about the importance of using technology appropriately within an educational setting. Obviously, we live in an era where technology is just a part of our everyday lives but according to Selber, there are still confusions on how it should be used. And with technology advancing and changing every day, there will still be confusion and unanswered questions. The problem with technology is that although for most users it is accessible and can help with learning education, not everyone is familiar with how to really use it. And most teachers are unaware of how to fully use technology to its advantage and properly integrate it into our learning systems. Students need to able think about media in a functional, critical, and rhetorical sense but we also need to be properly exposed to technology in our classroom settings to be able to grasp these concepts. 

For ESU, D2L is about the only “social” media platform all teachers use to communicate with students about homework assignments, lectures and grades. But I think schools need to help and encourage teachers to find ways to incorporate technology into classrooms that can help better prepare us for technological advances in the future. Because most likely, they aren’t going to know or care to add more technology to lessons since most teachers are not fans of technology and/or are digital immigrants, so they are not technologically -savy. Although I believe that technology can be harmful or unhelpful when not properly used or understood, it can be a positive learning platform that can be beneficial for helping society move forward in the future.

From reading the “Primary Care Clinic as a Writing Space” article, I learned that writing skills could still be improved, even in a professional medical environment. I never really thought that something as simple as improving writing and note-taking skills could potentially be a result of improvement for clinical patients. But I can understand how if everyone in the clinic has a similar form of note taking, it can provide better communication throughout the facility, ensuring that the needs of patients are taken cared of. 

I thought it was interesting how the article mentioned with everyone’s own perspective and style of writing, it’s not always certain who or what is being written about. They used the example of if someone is taking notes on a clipboard at a clinic, that person is most likely a health care provider but at the same time that person could be a contractor doing inspections on the building. The author’s point is that the writing styles within the people who work at the clinic (nurses, doctors, medical assistants, etc) should be a distinctive form of communication that should be easily understood, to ensure clear communication and less complications with patients. 

My name is Dyamond Curtis and I am currently a junior. My major is Exercise Science, with a concentration of exercise physiology. I love to dance, sing, and draw occasionally! I am involved with ESU’s dance team.