Maria Leal
De Piero
MW 3-4:50 PM
WP1: Identifying,
Describing, & Analyzing a Genre Across Multiple Sources
There is something
peculiar about humans that shows just how much more evolutionary advanced we
are in comparison to the rest of the animal kingdom. That “thing”,[ZD1] is our
ability to group and find similarities or differences between numerous things. Human beings
have the skill to detect patterns and subtle nuances that set apart one thing [ZD2]from
another, allowing it to be used in a very specific situation. In other words,
through the
accurate identification of a text’s genre, such as social media websites, as an
everyday writer, one can become aware of the conventions and rhetorical
features that contribute to a genre’s identity as well as its value.[ZD3]
There are countless
different textual genres available to choose from, and even more subgenres that
are a part of a main genre in discussion. For instance, in the case of social
media websites, there is an extensive list of websites that someone could
choose to document their life on, some websites more well-known than others, as
is the case with Facebook, Instagram, and Yik Yak. Despite the differences
between the aforementioned social networks, they are still categorized under
“social media” seeing as how they all share the rhetorical features associated
with the “social media” genre.[ZD4]
The astounding thing
about online social networking, as opposed to the common face-to-face contact,
is the audience
potential[ZD5]. Before
social networks were introduced to the public, communicating with a mass group
of people seemed practically impossible, unless of course, one had access to
other sources of major media such as the radio, television, and publishing
companies. As a result, audience is a very important rhetorical feature of
social media. In terms of Facebook, and Instagram (which is also owned by
Facebook), there
[ZD6]are two
available audiences, one being more extensive and broader than the other.
Depending on the user, an account on either of these two networks can be made
“public” or “private”. Under “private”, the audience of a post or profile is
limited to solely pre-approved followers or friends, in terms of Facebook, of
said account. However, when an account posts under “public”, its content can
reach a much bigger audience. Virtually anyone can see that account and its
posts should it already be a “follower”/friend or happen to simply
stumble upon it. Furthermore, unlike an account on “private”, a “public”
account can also be publically listed under any hashtags or key words found in
the post and it can virtually be seen by anyone with computer access. Yik Yak,
while still a social network, has a much different audience than the
aforementioned networks. Yik Yak still has the potential of reaching hundreds,
if not thousands, of users, however, the range is far more limited. On Yik Yak,
there is a set radius, of 1.5 miles, as to who can view and vote on “yaks”, or
posts, within that region. For instance, someone can post on Yik Yak while being
on the UCSB campus, and people who live in nearby Isla Vista can see these
“yaks”, and upvote/downvote them, however, someone in North Carolina cannot do
that to your post. Yik Yak does give the option of “peeking” on “yaks” in
another region, but one cannot interact and vote on them. Furthermore, while
Facebook and Instagram can appeal to the majority of the members of society,
from teenagers to parents, and in some cases, grandparents, Yik Yak is
more of a college social network that appeals towards the 18-25 year-old
demographic found on college campuses worldwide.[ZD7]Yik Yak,
compared to Facebook and Instagram, is also very different when it comes to its
users because everything on Yik Yak is anonymous, from the original posters, to
the people who vote, and those who reply. It’s a completely different social
networking atmosphere where anyone can post and the votes they rack up (or
don’t) is not affected by who they are but by how well others relate to that
post or found it amusing. It’s unbiased.
Where other textual
genres [ZD8]have a
specific purpose, such as a newspaper’s duty to report on current events, or a
textbook’s job to provide legitimate information on a certain subject, finding
the specific purpose of social media is a bit more ambiguous. Older generations,
who already critique today’s generation, may argue that the sole purpose of
social media and all that comes with it, such as posts, is to promote narcissism
among an already self-engulfed generation. However, the purpose of social media
goes far beyond that. Nowadays, the versatility of this medium of communication
allows for its purpose to be expanded. Networks like Facebook, Instagram, and
Yik Yak open the doors to entertainment, friendships, fashion, gastronomy, and
even social and political movements. Spreading the word, or “trending”, about
an upcoming event whether it may be a concert, sports game, or even a crucial
yet last-minute protest, such as the protests that ocurred nationwide in
response to the Trayvon Martin case. Those protests were made posible because
of social media. Groups on college campus, and also outside, realized just how
controversial the verdict was and decided to act upon it. They began to rally
organizations together, work out scheduling, and created events that they
promoted through newspapers, word of mouth, but their biggest push was social
networks. Facebook events were created, Instagram posts were posted, and people
“yakked”, in present time, about their thoughts on the verdict and the ongoing
protests without the fear of being attacked in person thanks to the anonymity
of the app. The purpose of this example is to show that there are countless
purposes to social media. Most users may use it for what it was created, to
socialize and stay updated on what their friends or favorite celebrities are
doing, but the potential for this medium, as well as its purpose, is endless.
Social
media, although still a textual genre, has far more gray area[ZD9], when it
comes to rhetorical features, than most other writing outlets, and context is
no exception. The context of a status update, post, or yak varies from post to
post and user to user. If it’s a personal account, posts will revolve around
that person’s lifestyle, in other words, what they do for fun, the people they
surround themselves with, and in some cases, even their beliefs and
ideas/organizations they support. If the account belongs to a company or
organization, their posts will revolve around their upcoming sales or events. As
a result, there is no one set context for all of social media because the lives
of account users all always changing and something new is always going on. In
order to better understand the context of a post, one would need to be familiar
with the original poster.
In terms
of the style/tone of these social networks, once again, it greatly fluctuates[ZD10]. The tone
of posts on these media outlets is affected but the time of day, the people
online, as well as what is going on in present time around them locally or in
the world, and the individual account. For instance, posts on Yik Yak during
the day are vastly different to those that are posted during the night. In the
daytime, “yaks” focus on clases, professors, and events going on at campus.
Come night time, there is a great change as Yik Yak becomes bombarded with
posts of loneliness, parties, or even procrastination. The same can be applied
to Facebook. Realistically speaking, Facebook, while still greatly active with
millions of users, is not as active or popular as it was a couple of years ago.
However, say an earthquake were to hit southern California, virtually everyone
would log on to create a post relating in one way or another to the earthquake
that everyone experienced, creating a tone of urgency and worry with the
occasional status update poking fun at their “fat friend who fell off the bed”
and thus, was the cause of the earthquake. The style and tone of most Instagram
posts [ZD11]are
easy-going from “Celebrating Joe’s Birthday at #Disneyland” to “Beach day with
the gang. #SantaBarbara”. However, I say most because some accounts may choose
to post about raising awareness for a cause and create an urgent and
sympathetic tone, or a business may use their account to advertise an on-going
sale at their store for a more encouraging tone. Evidently, there are endless
factors that affect all the rhetorical features of social media posts.
While it
seems that absolutely everything about social media is completely vague and
ambiguous and therefore imposible to figure out, when it comes to conventions,
although they may not be set in stone, the guidelines are a bit more evident.
Posts on all three networks, Facebook, Instagram, and Yik Yak, are mostly never
extremely lengthy. Of course, there will always be those handful of people who
feel that documenting and letting everyone know every aspect of their life is
essential, but for the most part, users follow the widely accepted convetions of social media. In fact, Yik Yak,
in order to avoid such lenghty posts, has made it so that “yaks” cannot be
longer than two hundred characters. Instagram and Facebook do not have a
character limit, but the majority of users have acknowledged to keep posts and
updates short, often quirky, and perhaps embedded with an emoji or five in
order to make posts more eye catching and appealing to their followers,
friends, or other nearby fellow “posters”.
Social
media can be used for so many positive things, but truth of the matter, is that
older generations are at least somewhat correct when they say that today’s
generation is self-involved, to a certain extent. The reason users follow these
conventions, is more often than not, for the online social approval. People on
Facebook post status updates for the likes, Instagram users post for the
Instagram likes and follows, and those found on Yik Yak, “yak” for the upvotes.
It’s a side of social media that can never be erased.
The need
of approval and popularity that a vast amount of users experience may seem off
topic, however, it is extremely relevant to the importance of genre
identification. If a user wants the likes/upvotes/followers, then they need to
know what social media users want. Knowing and having the ability to identify a
genre is like identifying and knowing one’s audience. It allows for one to know
what information is expected, as well as not expected, of a genre. Furthermore,
it aids in proving a point if a writer is choosing to do so. Circumstantially,
a teenager would not email their grandmother to wish her a “Happy Birthday” if
she did not know how to email. In that case, mailing a birthday card would be
far more acceptable. Also, a teenager would not ask their grandmother for money
in a birthday card. That is not part of the conventions of a birthday card. Learning
about genre is vital because practically everything that humans come in contact
with on a daily basis is some form of textual genre: an academic essay, a
newspaper, a note, a textbook, social media, the list goes on.
Ultimately,
the rhetorical features and conventions of textual genres, like social media,
and the importance of genre identification are often overlooked despite its value.
Other times, they are overlooked because people are so accustomed to including
these things in whatever text it is they may be creating, that they do not stop
to think about it; it is almost second nature. However, should someone not be
familiar with the rhetorical features and conventions of a specific genre,
being able to distinguish and identify different genres is extremely beneficial
as to knowing when the appropriate time is to use said genre.
[ZD2]2
things:
1, this “thing” stuff is very vague. I don’t think many “academic” audiences will
take too kindly to the overuse of things.
2, animals can’t detect patterns? Whenever I grab my keys, my two beautiful
little doggies run straight to the door and guard it so I don’t leave (without
them)…
[ZD3]Most
readers—when they’re reading a research-based, thesis-driven argument—are going
to expect a thesis statement here. Is
this yours?
The best thesis statements are the most specific. What, exactly, is your argument? What are you basing that argument on—what’s
your evidence?
[ZD5]Could
you be clearer here?
[ZD6]This
comment is in reference to the whole paragraph:
When I see this—even before I start reading—I think, “Ahhhhhhh! Attack of the page-long paragraph!”
See if you like this metaphor:
Pretend your whole paper is a big, juicy steak. Do you want your reader to enjoy that steak
in easy-to-chew, digestable bites? Or do
you want them to start eating the whole thing in one piece (think: zombie).
Paragraphs are like those “bites.”
Give your reader your argument in little, digestable, one-idea-at-a-time
bits.
Readers need to be able to see the different parts/pieces/bites of the
argument that they’re “chewing on.
[ZD7]This
kind of quick contextual/”here’s some background” sentence helps readers (like
me) who are wondering wtf is Yik Yak?
However, it really would have helped me to know this at
the start of your analysis of Yik Yak.
[ZD8]Maria,
I’m wondering whether it could enhance your overall argument to define/describe
genre in greater depth EARLIER on. The
readings could/would help you do this.
I also want you to think very hard about
structure/organization: consider what your reader would need to know early on,
from the get-go…
From my perspective, using genre as the “lens” through
which you begin your argument could help your reader better understand where
you’re taking them.
[ZD10]How/why?
The best topic sentences, I think, establish exactly
what the paragraph will focus on. Like I
mentioned in class, they’re essentially mini “movie trailers.”
[ZD11]OK,
we’ve got Yik Yak, Facebook, Instagram…
You kinda/sorta seem to be randomly referencing social
media sites.
However, if you established which sites you’d be
analyzing from the get-go—ie, your thesis statement!—your reader likely
wouldn’t think this stuff was so random.
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