An Ending That Fits
By: Julia Weiss
“In flow” was a
term I never thought I’d be using to define an appropriate location to publicize
my digital media project. As most of us
know, if you are reading this, I created an online website tackling the issues
of astrological fallacies (i.e. predictions of personalities via
horoscopes). My website represents a
rhetorical situation; within it the three constituents: exigency, audience, and
constraint (Bitzer, Lloyd. “The Rhetorical Situation.”). The exigency being the
fact that society is being manipulated by false claims. The audience, being
anyone that views my website, and takes an opinion to the subject, and the
constraints being anything that gets in the way; whether it is lack of internet
access or dislike of my writing style. I’ve been asked to place my projecting
in a “fitting space” for its purpose, and I have found one. The original medium of my project was already
online; searchable by Google, but that itself is not enough to address a maximum
amount of audience members. So, I’ve
decided that posting a sharable link to my website via Facebook would be the
most appropriate action and most relevant location if I’m attempting to involve
Web 2.0 participants.
Why Facebook and
not an email list serve? I’ll tell you why. “People are happiest when they can
reach a state of flow”, this was said in an article written by Dana Boyd
addressing social media (Boyd, Danah. 2009).
My audience is anyone interested in astrological predictions, anyone who
gives credibility where it is not deserved, and anyone who bases their life
decisions on what their zodiac sign has been prophesized to do. I do not have a
list of who these people are, but Facebook can show me who they might be. Facebook
is home to an application known as Daily Horoscope, which is commonly used by
many Facebook participants. I am not
surprised since we now live in an online world where there is no “hard Boundary”
and a multiplicity of identities (Tim, O'Reilly. "What Is Web 2.0.") We
have moved into a digital sphere based off of user participation. The attitude has switched from I’ll find my
own entertainment to entertain me, and this is why I have to bring the research
to my audience instead of depending on them to find it themselves (Tim,O'Reilly. "What Is Web 2.0." ). And Facebook’s Daily Horoscope application has
just become another choice as to who people can give their attention too. This
bothers me, because the claims those horoscopes make are false, and I wish to
see to it that their viewers know that.
Social
transformation has been among us, just as Alvin Toffler stated in 1980
(Williams, Kate. "Literacy and Computer Literacy”). We have been emerging
as a network society, “organized around information and communications
technology (Williams, Kate. ”Literacy and Computer Literacy”). Now, what makes
the choice to publish my content online a good one, rather than publishing it
through a poster series around campus; time and context. I have to adjust my message
and delivery with the current culture and society. Schools all over the U.S. have been wired and
computers installed. Ultimately, every public library outlet in the US provides
internet access to patrons, and browsing the web is easily learned at libraries
(Williams, Kate. "Literacy and Computer Literacy”). This is why publishing
my website online, and the posting it to Facebook is the most appropriate route
for this day and age. Facebook is
currently home to over 483 million members users that are active daily (McCafferty,Dennis. "25 Facts About Facebook."). Chances are, one of them will
see my share, and I’ll change a few minds about their daily horoscope.
Work
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