Discussion Initiation for 10/9/14
Carolyn Handa’s piece “The Multimediated Rhetoric of the
Internet” delves into the process of textual analysis as applied to the
rhetoric of modern websites. This piece shares several similarities to Jimmie
Killingsworth’s piece from “Appeals in Modern Rhetoric,” which specifically
explores the appeal of time in rhetorical situations.
The rhetorical concept of kairos played a big role in the
argument of both of these pieces. The Killingsworth piece defines kairos as
“finding the right argument for the right moment. Speaking in terms of kairos
alone, Handa’s piece focuses primarily on the role it plays in the development
and analysis of websites, which more often than not are attempting to appeal to
a specific audience. The information given on a website must not only be
relevant to its intended audience, but to the time itself as well. An
interesting and current example of this concept is well demonstrated by the
Rock the Vote campaign, whose website is not only accessible, but effectively
targets its young intended audience by utilizing the hashtag “#turnoutforwhat”
as well its release of a video starring known celebrities such as Lil Jon, Lena
Dunham, and Fred Armeson in order to appeal to its youthful demographic. This
works because as mentioned in the Handa piece, an effective website must be
designed by somebody who not only knows how to make the website look
aesthetically pleasing, but must also be skilled in rhetorical analysis with a
contemporary twist.” Appealing to young people is an exigency shared by most
websites, considering the high volume of Internet users included in the
demographic.
The millennial generation’s Internet usage was thoroughly
discussed within Handa’s piece, as she spend a large portion of the article
discussing the intentions of college websites alone, because as Handa puts it
“websites are the principle vehicle for higher education’s commercial success.”
Handa then goes on to quote Keller who refers to a university’s audience
(students, prospective students, staff, faculty, alumni) as “the five-headed
monster” that being said, it is difficult to create web content that
effectively targets all five of these demographics.
Perhaps even more than kairos, another rhetorical common
factor shared by both the Killingsworth and the Handa piece is definitely their
discussion of exigence and its application to modern texts intended for a vast
array of audiences. Killingsworth describes exigence as “suggesting that topics
emerge as urgent considerations at a particular historical time.” This does
seem almost identical to the concept of kairos, which is to be expected, as
Killingsworth later says that “the power of both concepts depends upon the
author and the audience coming to an agreement that the moment has arrived for
a certain topic to receive close attention.”
In application to the Handa piece, one can view
Killingsworth’s definition of the relationship between kairos and exigence as
incredibly relevant to that of modern web design. However true it may be, the Handa piece did
construct the Internet as little more than a place of consumers and willing,
yet somewhat unaware vendors. After all, even if the goal of a website is not
to get a consumer to purchase something, it is without a doubt still seeking
viewership, which I believe still qualifies as consumption in its own
right. In her piece, Handa does attempts
to establish the difference between a website’s intention of rhetorical
delivery and one simply hoping to create the atmosphere for communication, but
that line has a tendency to become blurred. Even communication driven websites
such as Facebook use user targeted advertisements, which pop up on the sides of
one’s Facebook page with the very intention to appeal to each specific user. An
argument can be made that this is an unethical invasion of one’s Internet
privacy, but at this day in age it is not out of the question to declare the
term “Internet privacy” itself an oxymoron. The exigent driving force of the Internet
may very well be consumerism, even while considering the vast array of
knowledge and social accommodation provided by its modern usage, it may not
exist without a certain level of financial achievement.
Understanding the rhetorical methods of the websites we
encounter on a daily basis can benefit us not only academically, but also as
people in our everyday lives. It is after all, naïve to assume that as an
Internet user one is not also by definition a customer on the virtual market,
regardless of whether or not any real online shopping is being done. Both the
Killingsworth and the Handa piece can be applied effectively in order to interpret
and analyze the Internet and its occasionally shady intentions towards
consumers.
In the article, Appeals to Place by Killingsworth, a thorough examination of “how people use language to justify their behavior and motivate others (and themselves) into purposeful action,” is conducted with an emphasis on the influence of scene. Killingsworth organizes his analysis into three main categorizes, “A Native perspective on Time and Place,” “Local Versus Global: The Appeal of the Native American Perspective,” and “Reinhabitation: The Counter Cultural Perspective,” and then goes on to contrast these with a short account of appeals to “Virtual Places, Empowerment, and the Promise of Utopia.”
ReplyDeleteKillingsworth suggests that since the world is being technologized at such a fast pace, humans are becoming disconnected with place, thus causing place to seem trivial to them. He uses Native Americans to portray how land is sacred to them, and how they value old ways of life. But in order to keep up with the changing times and technological advancements being produced, some Native Americans from the tribe found it necessary to assimilate in the new world, while others felt like they were betraying their fundamental beliefs if they assimilated. Because with all the new technology being produced it also has a counter effect on the environment that many don’t take into account. Killingsworth states that the Native Americans claim on land is diffused when the “present and the future become the exclusive domain of the people that progress favors.” The narrative of the Native American’s claim on the land, and how it is important to preserve it, is no longer important when “development is destiny.” So depending on where you are (place) this development could affect you in different ways, however there are always competing perspectives on one topic so it can be presented in numerous ways.
Another appeal that he explores is using allegories. He references a poem where “roadkill becomes and image of every creature run down in the name of progress and development.” Using this appeal to place could be useful because it makes you think about the problem in a different way, which could seem more interesting than just reading a news article. The key point I believe Killingsworth is trying to show us is that appealing to place is inevitably “reconnects individuals to the history of a people, to ancestors,” which makes the story more meaningful to them, which in turn could provoke action out of the reader.
Finally, Killingsworth touches on how virtuality has created a sense of disconnection with place in modern times, because it has allowed us to access things that were “formerly inaccessible because of their diffusion in pace and time and their distance from the places we call home.” I think this final concept he introduces is most related to Handas article, The Multimediated Rhetoric of the Internet.
In this day and age the Internet has become a increasingly popular place to; voice opinions, gain knowledge, and promote and sell commodities. That is why I find it valuable, to take into consideration both Killingsworth’s appeals to place as well as history and to implement Handa’s concepts of using rhetorical delivery, digital performance, and media fusion together to create meaningful discourse that appeals to multiple audiences and generations.
Also I agree that like you said it is important for us to understand "the rhetorical methods of the websites we encounter on a daily basis," because they like us are probably highly educated on the concept of rhetoric so it can be easy for them to manipulate people, but if you know their strategies it could be easier for you to avoid being misinformed.