Introduction to Digital Writing PDF

AS2404 INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL WRITING Many organizations worldwide use social media to spread false information. Social media has quietly become a major part of our lives. Over a decade ago, media shifted from being mostly controlled by a few sources to a decentralize...

AS2404 INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL WRITING Many organizations worldwide use social media to spread false information. Social media has quietly become a major part of our lives. Over a decade ago, media shifted from being mostly controlled by a few sources to a decentralized model where social media is now the main way information is shared. The issues with social media and technology are more than the issues about marketing, advertising, and money. They are related to how we communicate, our ethical beliefs, the government we stand for, the misinformation, and human psychology. Social media problems impact our daily lives, the children’s lives, and the world we are creating for them. We are not fully equipped to handle the complexities of digital communication. Therefore, we need to gain knowledge by learning the proper approach to understand and point out our purpose, ethics, and effectiveness in writing as we collectively recognize that social media is not a tool nor a toy; it is the new powerful form of media that we must deal with. Digital Writing (Lawrence, 2023) Digital Writing means writing content that appears on the internet and social media. It involves writing for websites, apps, and online platforms. It combines skills from different fields like graphic design, computer science, psychology, philosophy, and rhetoric or the means of effective or persuasive writing or speaking. Proficient digital writers demonstrate a deep comprehension of the functionality and intricacies inherent in the tools and technologies they employ. They know how to target specific audiences on platforms like Facebook and can create content like memes that could potentially go viral. Ethical digital writers also understand the underlying technologies to avoid misusing them. There are certain considerations to being a good writer. First, you need to gain your technological skills, writing abilities, and an analytical approach based on the principles of rhetoric to guide your decisions. If you are unsure of how to approach a digital project, you can rely on the foundations of rhetoric. Rhetoric does not only deal with effective communication; it also deals with the truth. According to Plato, speakers must pursue truth through philosophy. Powerful speakers who deceive audiences or do not fully consider their arguments can lead us down dark paths, sometimes with horrific consequences on a large scale. Digital writers must carefully consider their audience: Who will actually read the content? What do they want to know? Who within the algorithm will see this data? How will it be interpreted? How does it relate to the overall goals and stance of the company? How will different audiences perceive the message? The main focus is on using comprehensive language, shorter sentences, and examples to illustrate concepts and break down complex ideas into smaller pieces. The goal is to enhance understandability for a wider audience. Rhetoric Framework for Digital Writing Let us put these ideas into a simple framework that can guide you as a writer in handling projects such as this: 1. Scenario - Analyze the situation and identify the audience. What is the most effective way to deliver the message to them? 01 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 5  AS2404 2. Purpose - What is the goal of your project or campaign? Are you persuading them to buy a product? Increase social media engagement? 3. Media Object - Consider the content that needs to be created. What should it look like, and where will it be published? Who is the intended audience? 4. Technology - What technology is required for creating the "collateral" or media? Is it a document, image, or post? What software and file types are needed? 5. Deadline - How much time do you have to create the media object? When is the deadline? 6. Process - Will you review and revise your own work? Who else will provide feedback, and at what stage? 7. Ethics - Are there any ethical concerns with the project? How can you address them within your organization? 8. Benchmarks and Review - How will success be measured by others or yourself? 9. Value and Data - What value does this media object or data have for your business or organization? How can you utilize the data in the future? 10. Optimization/Reflection - How can you learn from this project? How can you create an even more successful project next time based on your findings and audience response? Rhetorical, Audience, and Technology The study of rhetoric traces back to ancient Greece. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were major figures associated with rhetoric, though other thinkers likely explored it too. We have Plato and Aristotle's surviving texts, which established the foundations of rhetoric. Rhetoric Rhetoric is the study of the art of persuasion. According to Aristotle, rhetoric involves observing the available means of persuasion in any given situation. On the web and social media, the means of persuasion can include language, visuals, evidence, emotions, speech, appeals to authority, endorsements, and many other persuasive techniques. The means of persuasion are vast. These persuasive tools and technologies were developed by private individuals, companies, and organizations. Rhetoric also provides a framework to critically analyze digital media and how it manifests and appears to us. Media often wants us to buy products, but it can also persuade us to sign up for newsletters, desire new lifestyles, plan trips, or purchase experiences. For example, an airline billboard with an attractive couple on a beach doesn't just sell tickets. It suggests we should value vacations, spending money, and relaxation over environmental concerns like emissions from air travel. Audience Communications often contain ideological messages beyond the surface-level message like “Drink Coca-Cola.” Advertisements and marketing carry moral messages, instructing what we should value. A primary concept in the study of rhetoric is audience. Audience refers to the intended recipient of a message or communication. When creating something, you should always consider the audience. Who will receive the message? What is their age, socioeconomic status, education level, and familiarity with your product? What 01 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 5  AS2404 occupations and politics do they have? Understanding the real people behind the scenes is crucial. The term audience becomes extremely important when examining social media. In social media, the audience takes on a concrete meaning. We can analyze available data about the audience - where they live, their jobs, interests, and information they have voluntarily provided on platforms. In marketing terms, this audience data is called demographics. The word derives from the Greek "demos," meaning people, and "graph," meaning writing - so demographics describe populations. The concepts of rhetoric and audience are powerful. Demographic data drives many business decisions. If research shows high demand for a product like bean and chicken frozen burritos, a company may launch a new offering to meet that demand. Businesses must listen to their audience. On social media, companies use tools like Facebook Ads Manager to target specific population segments with tailored messages. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos One possible explanation for effective advertising is that humans are irrational and rely heavily on emotions when making decisions. We are largely irrational creatures, driven by desires, the unconscious mind, and millions of years of evolutionary conditioning - even if we do not believe we are irrational. We make many decisions based on our emotions rather than pure logic. Rhetorical analysis of advertisements and marketing helps unveil and see through the persuasive tricks and tactics used. To start learning how to conduct rhetorical analysis, we can use the framework first proposed by Aristotle - the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos. These can be applied to analyze traditional and digital advertisements, marketing messages, media objects, speeches, texts, product designs, and even our own thoughts through self-reflection and meditation. Rhetorical analysis is a powerful tool. The three appeals are: Ethos - Appeal based on the credibility and character of the speaker/author Pathos - Appeal to the emotions of the audience Logos - Appeal to logic and reason By analyzing how these appeals are used, we can better understand the persuasive strategies employed and make more rational decisions as consumers. Ethos Ethos refers to a person’s character and credibility. Aristotle considered ethos to be the most crucial element of rhetoric. When everything else fails, we rely on our trust in a person to evaluate their message. This is important to remember. Due to our long-term exposure to certain brands, we come to know and trust them, leading us to purchase their products over others. Appeals to ethos are appeals to credibility. These credibility appeals also apply to influential figures in our lives; for instance, numerous students aspire to study at UP Diliman because there is a prevailing belief that attending UP signifies intelligence. In the context of social media and all our writing, it is essential to consider how we establish ethos as brands and individuals. Ethos is closely tied to our values and belief system. The ethos we build in our lives is communicated not only through our writing and speaking style but also through our credentials, appearance, 01 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 3 of 5  AS2404 gender, and communication medium. Ethos is closely attached to trust and respect. Why do we respect certain figures more than others? Why do we respect our teachers inside the classroom? For instance, how do we build ethos in social media? One of the things that we consider is the number of followers; it indicates a person's credibility, thinking, “Oh, they have millions of followers. They must have something important to say”. However, we should also take note that big brands usually pay a large amount of money on advertising to build their social media presence. And this is one of the reasons why social media became a “pay-to-play” game. Therefore, we should be cautious about whom we trust. Aristotle wrote that the appeal to credibility may be the most persuasive and that a person’s “character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion he possesses.” Pathos Appeals to emotion are called pathos. Humans experience a wide range of emotions. Advertisers know that universal themes like food, animals, and sexuality evoke emotions in almost everyone due to our basic needs and drives. Let us continue with the example of Subaru's mid-2010s ads showing violent car crashes where the driver survives. What arguments does this make to the audience? Critics argue such footage can cause post- traumatic stress disorder. Imagine removing all pathos appeals from this ad - what would it look like? Thought experiment: Write a Subaru video ad with no emotional appeals, only facts. We would have to remove the music that stirs emotion to remove pathos. Actors’ facial expressions like smiles would need to go. But even an actor resembling someone familiar could evoke emotion, so we'd remove all actors. Scenes like houses might remind viewers of their childhood streets, so we will remove all videos. We are left with just text on a screen: "The new Subaru Forester is the safest vehicle on the market. It starts at $34,900 with 0% down. Learn more at Subaru.com." But even here, pathos remains - how do we verify it is the "safest"? What if there is a later defect or recall? We would have to qualify every statement to make it purely factual heavily. The conclusion is that all language can make a pathetic appeal, an appeal to pathos or emotion. Even stating safety ratings involves value judgments about what constitutes "safety." Logos Logos refers to appeals to logic. Most humans consider themselves rational beings, but studies show this is often not the case. People frequently commit logical fallacies and make ill-informed decisions with wide-scale negative impacts, like panic-selling in the stock market driven by emotion rather than a company's actual worth. Logical arguments rarely appear as pure logic. Appeals to logos typically work on multiple levels. Let us say you want to find a pub in Savannah by googling "pubs in Savannah" and picking the highest-rated one. This seems logical - if locals love it, it must be great. But we must consider potential data skews - maybe the top pub offered free beer for 5-star reviews or is owned by a wealthy corporation able to spend millions shaping 01 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 4 of 5  AS2404 public opinion through ads. Maybe the old beloved local owners sold to a corporate chain that changed the business. We must carefully examine where data comes from and how it was collected; otherwise, we risk false conclusions from bad data. Properly collected data through scientific methodologies should be neutral, but data can be wielded like a weapon to prove a point. Data exists in contexts that need analysis. There are philosophical debates around subjectivity vs objectivity and the social construction of science. But the world's greatest thinkers recognize science's importance for social progress and democracy, not using science to inform public policy risks horrific unforeseen consequences, like the US's failure to control COVID- 19's first wave in the Summer of 2020. However, logic alone does not always persuade. In an ideal world identifying absolute truth, logos could be rhetoric's ultimate tool for sharing truth and making decisions. But the real world doesn't work that way – we are far from a scientific utopia where persuasion is unnecessary. You have likely had frustrating experiences trying to convince someone with evidence, only for them to remain unmoved, especially on deeply held political or religious beliefs. You could present all available peer-reviewed evidence, but people resist changing values-based views. So when is logos effective? It is not ineffective - many ads seem to rely primarily on logical appeals. Like real estate listings providing specs and photos - while dimensions matter, buyers imagine living there through sights, smells, and memories. Our "logical" decisions have underlying emotional logics we do not recognize, like a smell subconsciously evoking an unpleasant memory. Reference: Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital Writing: A Guide to Writing for Social Media and the Web. Broadview Press. 01 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 5 of 5