Associative Argument

I'm torn... I want to work on my autobiography because I think it lends itself well to this assignment but I also want to work on my review.
I am more inclined to work alone on the review and in a group for the autobiography.
If I choose the autobiography, my idea is to use video. I was inspired by the format of this Google Chrome commercial:

I could see this working really well for representing not just one autobiography but a whole group.
Still have to figure out the logistics : )

Possible research topics...

-The pervasive use of "everybody" when discussing technological writing spaces- simultaneously empowering and dangerous term...what are the effects of the use of this term? -double life of the American student: the social-global-collaborator versus the solitary student inheriting knowledge . Is writing in an electronic space a good place/tool to bring these two together? Can they coexist?

On why I think comments are for suckers...

A Final Review

 *This incremental essay can be read starting with this post, but may work better beginning with: E-News, A Radical Reading Space?

        I set out to prove that the incredibly interactive, global, and collaborative nature of online newspapers has the capacity to radicalize culture.  I wanted to look specifically at the way the comment feature provides a unique and powerful space for the reader to become the writer in a power neutral environment, effectively effacing the hierarchical binary of author/reader or journalist/civilian. Using the criteria established in an earlier post, I have reached an entirely different conclusion.

Ultimately, the comment section in online newspapers comes down to the idea that with the advent of email, the letter to the editor exploded, and newspapers simply did not have the man power to handle, screen and respond to this influx of “talk back”. Rather than have overflowing inboxes and readers that feel ignored, the online newspaper allows people to vent, express themselves, and rant in a somewhat controlled environment. Therefore, the comment section has come to serve the paper as a pressure valve. Just as leaders have for centuries allowed their people controlled spaces of anarchy (think of Carnival, or the desecration of political piñatas in town centers) to placate the masses and hopefully prevent revolt, the online comment section of newspapers allow people to absolutely lose control and spew anything that might come to mind. Even if the comment is ultimately removed because of offensive content (and where the line is drawn between offensive and not is mind boggling), the author still gets to see their comment published. It does not sit on a basement floor or go through the shredder, it enjoys a short but active and often viral online life. The immediacy of posting a comment does therefore remediate the letter to the editor, yet without remediating the hierarchy of power.

     The New York Times comment section is an excellent example of what I am talking about. It is one of the most censored online spaces I have come across, and therefore does not effectively remediate the traditional writing space provided to readers by the paper. The constraints of moderation and the limited amount of articles that are open to comments make the writing space as infused with power dynamics as the letter to the editor was and is. After more thoroughly engaging with the comment feature of this online newspaper, I have to retract my assertion that it is a writing space at all. While I appreciate the Times’ effort to establish a tasteful and non-threatening reading space, the space they have created for comments is too limited and controlled to be considered an actual writing space. I would call it an interactive feature of the website, or even more nefariously, a simulation of a collaborative writing space whose intent is to placate the reading public. The “moderator” of these comments can be likened to the anonymous editor sifting through letters, and the words appearing on the screen are just as much a carefully chosen part of the total product. If the comments were a true remediation of the letter to the editor, then this feature would not only imitate the original, but would allow for improvements upon the form. Instead, the “writing” has been relegated to a separate screen, hidden below the article and overwhelmed by advertisements, giving the distinct impression that no one really cares. Based on the prevalence of questions such as “what was this author thinking?”, “this article is not accurate because I have a different opinion” and “this writer is pretty good, but he really should have done xyz”, I believe the comment section exists so that unsatisfied consumers of the online news product can be directed to an appropriate space of controlled reaction. Rather than provide a radical new space of writing, the comment feature euphemizes power structures dominating the free press which position the reader as consumer.    

Evaluating the Space

So how have the comment sections in online newspapers remediated the letter to the editor? I will attempt to evaluate this through a set of criteria that are explicitly working in comparison to the criteria set up for the letter to the editor:

• Word Count:
  L.T.E. are kept at 150 words. The comment text box has a character limit, but there are no limits on how many text boxes you can occupy.
• Censorship: This is fascinating. The rules on censorship (or “moderation” as the paper calls it) seem to come directly from the history of the letter’s format:
  “We are interested in articulate, well-informed remarks that are relevant to the article. We welcome your advice, your criticism and your unique insights into the issues of the day”
  “Our standards for taste are reflected in the articles we publish in the newspaper and on NYTimes.com; we expect your comments to follow that example. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence and SHOUTING.”
  According to the rules, each comment is screened and either accepted or rejected, but never edited. Interestingly, there is a new feature called the “trusted commenter”. After enough accepted posts, the user’s comments are no longer moderated. So technically you could play the game long enough to become a trusted commenter and then start posting anything you want…other users can “flag” comments, and then it’s up to the paper to remove or not.
  A final note on censorship: most of the hot topic articles that you would expect to generate some serious controversy (such as immigration) are not open to comments.
  
• Immediacy:                                                                                                                                While a letter to the editor must refer to an article published within the last seven days, and of course can’t be published on the same day, the comment section is available to old as well as new articles and can appear instantaneously. 
  
• Audience:
  To be allowed to post a comment the you must engage in threading. You have to either post a reply to a comment or recommend the comment (this can mean recommending to your facebook page, to an email, or just as a part of your user profile). The audience is the web, not the editor, or the author of the article. Scrolling through a long list of comments can often lead into a completely tangential or personal conversation between users. Since you aren’t required to respond to another user the flow of the conversation can at any time be interrupted or redirected by a new comment. 
  • Capacity to effect change: The letter to the editor has the power to inspire a rebuttal from the author, an apology, a series of new articles, a retraction, the list goes on...A comment seems to have (of course there are exceptions) none of these instruments of change built into its inherent structure or purpose. For example, what change would come from the comment below? Now imagine a well written letter published in the Times requesting further discussion of the privatization of college...
  
  

The History Behind the Writing Space

I will focus my review specifically on the way the comment feature remediates the letter to the editor. Traditionally, the letter to the editor is written by a passionate member of the community that just can’t keep their argument inside any longer. Sometimes these letters address a specific article in the newspaper (celebrating or bashing it), and sometimes they simply address and take a stance on a hot topic. Ultimately these letters are meant to persuade a wide audience. In a print setting, these letters must follow a fairly strict set of criteria in order to pass the editor’s desk and make it into the paper. I find it interesting that even with the advent of so many online writing spaces that allow the writer more freedom, the tradition of the letter to the editor continues both online and in print. Why do people feel unsatisfied with their new writing spaces and what about the traditional form of the letter compels them to write there? I would like to look closely at the specific criteria of a letter to the editor in order to examine the way e-news has remediated the reading and writing space for reader-writers (or as Axel Bruns would call them, produsers). To keep my project concise I have chosen to look mainly at The New York Times, which produces one of the most popular print newspapers and has a well read online news source as well. 

         So What is a Letter to the Editor?

image from wikicommons, public domain

Archival New York Times Article Sienna Lomuto

·         

 iiiiiii Letters to the editor have a long history of covering both the mundane (new street signs, or personal letters from figures of public interest) to the radical and political. Today, letters to the editor are only published if they meet a very specific criteria. Check out the standards for the New York Times:

"Letters for publication should be no longer than 150 words, must refer to an article that has appeared within the last seven days, and must include the writer's address and phone numbers. No attachments, please.

We regret we cannot return or acknowledge unpublished letters. Writers of those letters selected for publication will be notified within a week. Letters may be shortened for space requirements"

 

 Here is a link with full submission information

And for a fascinating look at the selection process, check out this article written by the anonymous editor of the letter section, where he/she gives Tips on Getting Your Letter Published

     As we can see from these specifications, the writer is limited (both online and in print) by the constraints of the editor and the standards of the newspaper. The paper reserves the right to change the letter, and most interestingly, reserves the right to do absolutely nothing at all with the letter. What role does writing take when its civic or social purpose is thwarted by the medium? The Chicago Tribune calls their editorial section "The Voice of the People". When we start to examine the construction of and constraints on this voice, it is no wonder the people were anxious for a less regimented and immediate space to write and talk back. 

These comments are the first of 676 responding to an article posted today called "Women in Texas Losing Options for Health Care in Abortion Fight"(NY Times)

E-News: A Radical Writing Space?

According to Jay David Bolter, Enlightenment thinkers saw “printed newspapers and periodicals as instruments of revolution”(Writing Space 208). These writing spaces had the capacity to radicalize culture, and I would argue that the move from print to electronic writing space has only served to strengthen that force. To borrow from Bolter, the online newspaper has the ability to “remediate” not only the print version of newspapers, but to remediate the hierarchical conception of authority in journalism. This online writing space is drastically different than print newspapers in that the reader can become both the writer and editor via the use of the comments section. A reader can correct, further support, and dispute the article, and has the ability to change at will her own comments as other reader-writers inform her argument. These comments exemplify the social aspect we so often seem to seek in electronic writing spaces. Specifically, the comments serve as the “talk back” feature that Bolter describes in chapter ten. This kind of talk back transforms newspapers into an interactive writing space as well as a tool for cultural remediation.   

Coming Soon...

A review on the "reader views" and "comments" section of The San Francisco Chronicle's online version of the newspaper (www.sfgate.com)
I always read the comments but don't write back...now that I'm committed I can't chicken out!  

Investigating the Personal Blogging World

The first two blogs I investigated are written by women that I know through mutual friends. One of them I almost never see and the other I see frequently in group settings. Since we don't have a deep friendship I only knew the basic details of their lives prior to reading their blogs. This was a fascinating exercise because I normally wouldn't feel good about cyber-stalking people and reading their blogs, but the assignment made me feel like it was okay! Now I feel like we have just spent hours talking...I hope I don't creep them out at our next get together with my detailed knowledge about their personal lives!

Zoe's Blog:
Intended Audience: Her friends (she gives some information but directs people to her facebook page or to email her for more photos, more info, etc.), scientists, female scientists, people interested in growing their own food, DIYers
Tone: casual, comic
Use of graphics: visually engaging all the way through, from font choice to photos 
Use of links: lots of videos and sometimes music that she suggests playing while reading post 
Use of ethos,pathos,logos: science related posts appeal heavily to pathos as well as logos but in general her posts appeal to pathos
Purpose: I think the blog started as an online resume, but she has since moved that aspect to a personal website. The blog now seems to function as a kind of online journal with the hope that other like minded people will join the conversation.  

Caroline's Blog:
Intended Audience: vegetarians, vegans, foodies
Tone: pithy, intelligent, reads like a magazine
Use of Graphics: beautiful, mouth watering images, they all seem to be personal photos 
Use of Links: usually at least one link per post, takes you to the inspiration for the recipe or a restaurant that serves similar food, etc.
Use of Ethos, Pathos, Logos: lots of pathos, food is talked about in emotional terms (i.e. why I chose to become a vegetarian, why I love this dish, what this food makes me feel, etc.)
Purpose: this blog was actually picked up and turned into a column, so I think it's safe to say the purpose was to write about her passion while showcasing her writing talents: http://www.missionmission.org/author/caroline-mccormick/

The following blogs I just stumbled across and found interesting:

The Feminist Teacher:
Intended Audience: feminist teachers K-12 and college
Tone: informational, inspirational, call to action
Use of graphics: text heavy, about one graphic per post
Use of Links: lots of links for resources, further info, etc.
Use of ethos, pathos, logos: all over the place! This blog is an ongoing persuasive argument
Purpose: explicitly stated: "This blog intends to expand the circle of discussion to educators in the k-12 sector who consider their teaching practices to be feminist in design and implementation.  My goal is to make us visible to each other and to the larger world of educators, as we move forward with our important work.  For this reason, I hope it will be a place of community and conversation, both inspiring and invigorating"(Ileana Jiménez)

RubberTramping 
I love this photoblog, it's stunning!
Intended Audience: anyone, very open
Tone: almost completely visual
Use of graphics: captivating photography, beautiful graphics in the template, font, etc.
Use of Links: very few
Use of ethos, pathos, logos: lots of appeal to pathos, the photos and poetry interspersed create an emotional reaction in the reader, as do phrases like "dear reader", "oh reader", etc.
Purpose: as with many travel photoblogs, the goal is to get people to support the traveling photographer, either by donating directly or through purchasing their photos 


Dancing with Columbia
I found this blog through a link in the previous one. The author seems to be her traveling partner, since the same faces, dogs, and locations show up. However, this blog is very different! I find this blog very difficult to engage with, it is difficult to see the font on the page, the photos are much less interesting, and the intended audience seems to exclude me. Perhaps the audience is simply the author. This is probably the most "personal" blog I read.

Response to Literate Lives

Examining the case studies presented in Literate Lives gives us an idea of how people come in contact with literacy as well as how the acquisition of literacy shapes their lives. Many common themes run through the case studies, but what I am most interested in is the idea that technological literacy (in contrast to traditional literacy) is acquired collaboratively. Traditional literacy is passed down or taught in the form of a gift by those who possess knowledge. Technological literacy represents a radical shift. Knowledge in the realm of computers is no longer owned, nor contained by a body of elders, but always already emerging. This shift moves us away from the conception of education that operates in a top down model, where literacy is a constant, held up as an achievable goal, and once attained defines the student as literate. This shift instead presupposes that literacy is defined by all users, and the only constant is change. Because change occurs more frequently as younger generations emerge into and influence the realm of technology, "the old are not expert"(205). This is not to say that the young hold reign over technological literacy or that older people can't be experts, only to say that unlike print literacy, mastery of technological literacy is impossible. As users of technology, we are self taught, taught by peers, taught by teachers, taught by experts and non experts alike, so we engage in "kind of reciprocal learning in which '...the teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-students with student-teachers...they become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow'[Freire]"(210). If we can accept both the importance of collaborative learning as well as technological literacy, then students (of all ages) won't have to lead what Selfe and Hawisher term a "double life". This double life comes from two sets of "literacy practices and values"(195) that conflict. The first set of practices is defined by a long tradition of literacy conventions that are meant to challenge the student until s/he becomes masterfully literate. The second set of practices challenges an already literate teacher-student and student-teacher. The key is to allow these practices simultaneous existence, since they are not actually in opposition. As Selfe and Hawisher suggest, traditional literacy shares a direct relationship to all other kinds of literacy, and technological literacy still necessitates the role of teacher (perhaps mentor is a better word) and student. However the teacher must allow for a fluid movement between positions. As Freire indicates, the outcome of this equilibrium of intellectual challenge and collaboration will be growth.

My Story...

After finishing Literate Lives, I think the case study or story that most resembles my own has yet to be written! However, the stories in chapter six, Inspiring Women, resemble the experience of my mother and aunt, who are both solely responsible for my own literacy(both technological and traditional). They were born a little later than Jane, Jena, and Janice, however they were born in a particularly socially delayed area of the U.S., so their cultural ecologies are similar. My mom was married and pregnant before she turned 19. She and her sister eventually  left repression-ville for California and although they found freedom, hippies, and women's rights upon arrival, they also found financial strife. Dire economic circumstances meant that even during the boom of personal computers, both women were not able to find a "gateway" to technological literacy until education came into play. The role education as an institution played in both my mom and aunt's computer literacy links directly to Jane, Jena, and Janice.
Like Jane, my mom was called upon to teach at the nursing school she was attending. This later led to a teaching job in the public school system (at that time California was handing out "emergency credentials", a whole other story!). In both positions she was not only introduced to computers, but ended up teaching "basic computer skills" to other students. I remember thinking my mom was so cool and hip when I got to visit her classroom/computer lab! Meanwhile my aunt had moved in with us to help raise my brother and I while my mom worked, stepdad attended nursing school, and she attended community college. The idea of second wave feminism presented in this chapter really interested me in that my stepdad was studying to become a nurse (one of the only males in the program), my mom was working full time to support the family so had to drop out of college, and my young aunt was living with us in order to attend college in California. Since my aunt was the only person home after school she wound up doing the "woman's work" of child raising, cooking, cleaning, etc. She and my mom were effectively supporting one male and two children...Simultaneously, all three of these young adults were becoming rapidly computer literate, and as my brother and I were attending elementary school in the height of the Clinton administration we too had frequent access to computers. Clearly, the influence of education, whether it be working for a school or attending school, allowed my family to develop a level of technical literacy that is truly a miracle considering our "cultural ecology". My aunt now has a Master's degree, and runs an online advising center for International students at Michigan State University. My mom continued her education after remarrying none other than a computer engineer, and has since had two more sons that have already begun designing robots and computer chips before second grade! I am now 25, so all of these struggles and accomplishments unfolded before me in my formative and impressionable years. I think that's why Jane, Jena, and Janice's stories resonated with me more than those of my own age group.

Invention Activities

I can't seem to connect clearly with my relationship to technological literacy...I'm having a very difficult time pulling up memories from childhood. Making the graphic map helped me realize that until very recently most of my interactions with computers have been extremely negative, even though I would in fact call myself technologically literate. Perhaps I have just blocked out all the negativity. I know that I am only technologically literate because I value print literacy so highly. I think the interview questions in Literate Lives will be helpful for me to sort this all out!

Technology in My Life

As a class we are engaging in a discussion of what makes "a technology". Each student is blogging about what specific technologies have been important in their lives. Of course we are all English majors so the printing press, pens, pencils, paper, etc. are hot ticket items! As you see my blog is a scroll, just in case you weren't getting the picture yet. I have a feeling no one outside of the class will read this, so it seems strange, if not insane, to write as though there were some vast audience out there reading my fascinating posts, but here's hoping!

Technology is such an integral part of our everyday lives that I hardly notice what is or isn't a technology. I do, however, notice when technology doesn't work! Like the time my computer crashed three days before my senior thesis was due in college. Yeah, I noticed that technology. I also notice technology and its importance, power, and prestige when I travel, especially to countries where technology is less advanced or less integral than in the U.S. So although the internet, personal computers, ipods, etc. have undoubtedly shaped and influenced my life, the following technologies have had profound or vital effects:

• Inhalers/Breathing Treatments/Respirators: These saved the life of my asthmatic brother and myself many times in childhood! Lots of holidays spent in the ER.
• Antibiotics: Clearly a weak little child, I was sick all the time! Luckily amoxicillin in liquid form tastes like bubblegum.
• Iodine Tablets: My husband and I have traveled to some wild and desolate places where running or drinkable water is not exactly an option. These little pills make desolation a bit more hospitable.
• Flying contraptions/Trains/Automobiles: All of these technologies of movement and travel have been tremendously important in my life, especially because I have a love for foreign places and their:
• Wonderous Works of Architecture: Like the Eiffel Tower, the Colloseum, even the Golden Gate Bridge!
• Fiberglass: This invention or technological advance has impacted the world of sailing profoundly. Having lived on a sailboat for two years I can tell you it is very nice compared to a wooden or cement ship!
• Safety Glass: Car accidents...yikes, imagine if the windshield weren't made out of this!
• Pack Soap: A simple thing, but so magnificent! This biodegradable and eco-friendly soap can be used in any lake, stream, or river to wash the grime off!
• The Camera Obscura: This little box led to photography, one of my passions!
• Epidurals: I have had the honor/traumatizing experience of being in the room for three births, need I say more?
• Fax machine: A little odd, but without the fax machine I wouldn't have been able to apply to graduate school in California from New Zealand and life would be very different now!

Technological Illiteracy

One headache, two hours, and my first blog post: here begin my mis-adventures in the world of technology...