2117 Mode way of communicating Multimodal combining multiple

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§ Mode = way of communicating § Multimodal – combining multiple ways of communicated § Text = a piece of communication as a whole

§ Linguistic § Visual § Aural § Spatial § Gestural

§ Use of language § Consider: § Word choice § Delivery of spoken or written text § Organization of writing or speech § Development and coherence of words and ideas § Example – “enhanced interrogation”

§ Includes: § Color § Layout § Style § Size § Perspective

• • Music Sound effects Ambient noise/effects Silence Tone of voice Volume sound Emphasis and accent

§How reader can find way through the text §Arrangement §Organization §Proximity

§Facial expressions §Hand gestures §Body language §Interaction between people

§ Remember that every reader is not like you § Culture § Class § Race § Gender § Ability

§The different strengths and weaknesses of media and modes

§ Study of making texts that effectively persuade an audience toward change § Components: § Rhetorical Situation § Audience § Purpose § Context § Author § Genre

§Circumstances that lead author to create a text

§Intended readership § who the author had in mind §Secondary audiences § audiences not intended by the author that view the text

§Need to consider: §Who is intended audience? §Who might be the secondary audience? §What values or opinions do the primary and secondary audiences hold? Does the author appeal to these values or opinions in any way?

§What do you consider to be the overall intention for the text? What leads you to this conclusion? §Might there be one or more secondary intentions? Why do you think so?

§ Additional information about the text – § What is the medium (CD, app, video, paper)? Why do you think the author chose this medium? § Where did you find the text? What was publication venue? § What were the historical conventions for this type of text? What materials, media or publishing venues were available at the time? § What are the social and cultural connotations within the text? § How will readers interact with the text – phone, tablet, in-person, book?

§ Sometimes it is clear – single person § Other times it is an implied author § Ex. Land rover § Questions to consider: § How does the author establish credibility? § How does the author come across? § Does the author have a reputation? Does text work with or against this reputation?

§ How might you define the genre of the text? § In what ways is the text similar to other texts within the genre? § What key features makes it part of the genre you’ve identified?

§ Emphasis § Gives certain elements more stress than others § Contrast § The difference between the elements § Organization § The way in which the elements are arranged to create a whole unit § Alignment § How things line up – can affect direction of the way you read a text § Proximity § Closeness of elements

§ Open up one of your favorite forms of social media, and find a post/site that you find striking and poignant § Post to our website with tag ‘rhetoric activity’ § In the same groups that you worked with for the metadata activity, chose one example to work with as group among those that you posted. § Rhetorically analyze this post – draw from our multimodal and rhetorical theory discussions Rhetorical Components: Audience Purpose Context Author Genre Design Choices: Emphasis Contrast Organization Alignment Proximity Closeness of elements

§ Information “infrastructure provides the invisible scaffolding for discovery, dissemination, and access to information” § It “consists of the classifications, standards, protocols, and algorithms that organize information and communication practices”

3 Ways to Rhetorically Intervene in Information Infrastructure § Genealogies § historical investigations into the construction of infrastructure § Rhetorical ethnography § Become a part of the lifeworld of an infrastructure, to understand what it means to live within infrastructure § Protocological hacking (Galloway 2004) § Actually build infrastructure to understand the classificatory, standardizing, protocological and algorithmic concepts built into information infrastructuring