There is some amount of irony in the fact that I own the kindle version of this text. I always opt for the kindle versions, because they're cheaper, but mostly because you can use the "Ctrl+F" function to seek out specific keywords and ideas. Or, more realistically, you can write a paper about something you haven't read but seem to know where all the supporting evidence for your argument is. Wysocki seems to be familiar with this trick though, because she made all of her arguments in bold so that your eyes know when to stop skimming. I appreciate the hell out of this, even though I originally felt 'caught' in the act, I realized it takes one to know one. Although our generation may have come up with the term "TL;DR (too long;didn't read), I'm pretty sure everyone who has ever been through any level of education makes a serious effort to only read the necessary sentences. Making them in bold really helps a fella out.
I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I once again really identified with Wysocki's idea throughout p. 4 where she explains that school is constructed in a way that makes our education seem practical only if there is an assumed "degree agenda." Seeing as I dwelt on that in last week's blog, I thought I'd comment on the bit in parentheses, where she says that another literal boundary that school has is it's physical structure and unlikeness to other social spaces in the world. I had never thought about that before...we basically go to college to learn how to get jobs in the real world, and the place we go to learn this information is NOTHING like the real world. Weird shit.
When Wysocki was discussing the implications and behavioral responses to webpages, it got me thinking about the ghetto days of MySpace. Although I've never had a Facebook, I had MySpace back in 7-8th grade, and became addicted to its customizability. Literally every facet of the webpage could be altered, with almost no limitations. I was a pre-Hot Topic goth kid at the time, which meant that I had to have the darkest, most shocking page imaginable. I spent forever combing the web for obscure fonts, disturbing images, ungodly music, and cool html effects to make sure I could represent...well, whatever the hell I thought I had to prove at that age. I might not have had the theoretical knowledge at the time, but I knew that every single thing I put on my page had to be deliberate because it directly reflected on my character. Wysocki says, "there is little or nothing that asks composers and readers to see and then question the values implicit in visual design choices, for such design is often presented as having no value other than functionality..." (Wysocki, 6). I guess that's something I knew in some loose form back then as well. Most things are just sort of casually scanned, with a neutral response. Maybe that's why I used to (and still do, to a lesser degree) get my kicks out of shock value; you can always get an obvious response. 
Adam,
ReplyDeleteI have to spin your comment on my prior blog back around. You wrote about technology: "'What effect will this influence have?' In short, laziness." I partially agree with you-- technology affords shortcuts and automation replacing methods that once took time and "try and try again methods" to navigate. The roads we used to explore, following street maps and asking strangers for direction, are now easily navigable via GPS.
But, in reading your latest post, I hear the *intentionality* (an attribute by which you praised classical writing) in your multi-modal, technological, writing. Although you may not have understood it at the time, your obsessive font-searching, HTML effect-hunting, and so forth, was your 7th grade self *intentionally* composing your page. You were working to communicate yourself, your message, everything that you would work to communicate using traditional writing, only you worked in a different space, using new tools with new potentials.
And maybe technology affords ease; Google certainly does. But I think these "new media" form are simply new *tools.* We can cheat or challenge ourselves using them, as much as we like. You could easily crank out a bullshit WRIT 101 essay in hours, but a freshman not proficient with language would struggle to write something of the same caliber. You intentionally challenge yourself when writing, to craft a piece of art, something that works through *what* and *how* it is. And you're a great writer.
I think you can challenge yourself the same way, even using technology. The same thoughtful, dark, meticulous fourteen year old still exists, I'm sure.
Just my sassy thoughts,
Anjeli
Adam,
ReplyDeleteCertain things stood out to me in your blog post, firstly, the mentioning of kindle version texts. I found it interesting that you prefer kindle books because I don’t. I got a kindle book as a freshman and I had a lot of trouble and complications trying to cite page numbers and such. But, as far as personal reading, and reading for enjoyment I love the kindle app. It is great because there is so much free material to access on kindle that is pretty entertaining. I another thing I found fascinating in your post is that you mention never having a facebook account, but going pretty hardcore on my space. Once again, I found it interesting because I am the opposite. I don’t use facebook much in recent years, but I still have it. The social media phenomenon is something that I need to write about in depth. I have a lot to say about it, and I am glad you brought it up in your post because it is something I think about often. I think by the time I graduate and start looking for a profession, I will probably not use any social media for a while. From what I have experienced of social media so far, the negative aspects outweigh the positive ones. I think some of the most immature and childish people of all inhabit facebook regularly. I try not to be one of them, and I rarely post anything anymore. I was a late bloomer in the social media craze and I must have missed the my space wagon, but life goes on. I’m starting to wish the facebook phenomenon would have slipped by me as well. Anyways, thanks for the insight, your post got me thinking about things.
Cheers