Narrative Digital Identity
Introduction
One of the most ancient aspects of a culture is storytelling - sharing pivotal moments, experiences, values, and lessons through narratives. Through narrative, some researchers argue is the form in which humans make meaning or understand the world around them. “Work within different disciplinary areas shows that narrative understanding is an important, if not the major, cognitive tool through which all human beings in all cultures make sense of the world.” [1] Now, as the majority of the world’s interaction shifts from a physical to digital space, educators must embrace the digital space to provide relevancy and purpose for their students, so they may feel, to an extent, in control of their digital identity.
Socio-Cultural Theory
Individuals’ identities are shaped by the social and cultural influences around them. These contexts lead individuals to create perceptions of themselves and others, make-meaning of the world, shape their values, guide their personal and professional goals, etc. “Socio-Cultural Theory emphasizes the roles of social, cultural, and historical factors in the human experience.” [2] It would be disingenuous to state that individuals’ identities exist beyond or without influence from those contexts. Although these factors are ever-present in an individual’s life, they may not necessarily be aware that these influences have shaped who they are. Furthermore, they also may not necessarily embrace aspects of their identity due to fear of marginalization, desire for social acceptance, or those aspects may not meet or reflect their values, which may, ultimately, lead to an identity struggle.
Cardenas (2004) describes her struggle with identity due to the institutional environments she found herself in throughout her public school education. [3] The marginalization and stereotypical expectations of Hispanic immigrants led her to encompass an identity that did not reflect her true potential and resulted in silencing her voice. It was not until her institutional environment included genuinely invested teachers did she encompass her true academic potential, which empowered her to continue her studies and pursue critical literacy with her own university students.
Digital Identity
As individuals participate in actions digitally (internet search history, participation in blogs, music profiles, social media profiles, etc.), they are creating a digital identity for themselves. The interactions that take place online create an image of the individual behind the keyboard. The digital identity that is created is influenced by a variety of factors such as the feasibility of access to technology, the purpose of the applications utilized (social media, political, to gather information, etc.), and as well as socio-cultural factors a part of an individual’s life.
This form of identity is dynamic and continuously evolving. It is an extension or interdependent branch of other self-identifying aspects such as language preference, culture, political affiliation, religious beliefs, socioenconomic status, sexual orientation, family life, etc. And those complex aspects of identity are shaped or influenced by society and life experiences, which may not be apparent online. These “traces” can be analyzed out of context, which may lead to an inaccurate perception of the individual.
Digital Identity Through Narrative
Audience
One notable difference between storytelling in the physical sense and in the digital sense is that the audience is drastically different. In the physical world, students’ audiences are limited to their peers, family, teachers, professionals, etc. in the social context they find themselves. In the digital world, students’ audience would be the world-wide web, which can include anyone from anywhere. Through this difference, students may feel much comfortable to interact with varying audiences within the comfort of their own home or behind a phone, tablet, or computer screen. As Sauceda (2009) stated, “it is this imagined space with real purpose for a familiar audience where student writing is affected positively.” [4]
The difference in the quality of student writing is observed in Sauceda’s English Language Arts classroom between in-class writing and writing within a digital social community such as MySpace. Sauceda attributes the gap in student performance to the audience perception her students shared. Referencing Steven Toulmin’s concepts of stranger vs. intimate audience, Sauceda, the classroom teacher, was viewed as a stranger, and MySpace was viewed as the intimate. MySpace was perceived as intimate because of the continuous accessibility and level of comfort students felt toward writing through this appilcation.
Netiquette
In the physical world, etiquette is defined as the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group. These are societal expectations and norms that dictate correct or acceptable ways of communicating. For the most part, manners and courtesy are valued (“please” and “thank you”). These behaviors are observable through individuals’ courteous actions such as opening the door for one another, waiting for their turn to speak, etc. Educators embrace these social norms because it creates an advantageous environment for learning. In an ideal classroom, students would be respectful, open-minded, and engage in meaningful classroom talk with their peers. The narratives in which students utilize as the vehicle for analyzing character traits, plot development, author’s purpose, etc. would lead them in their own discovery of aspects of their identity.
In digital space, netiquette is defined as the correct or acceptable way of communicating on the internet. Unfortunately, many individuals take advantage of the fact that their “true” identity is hidden by a screen. For example, they may portray themselves on social media with “picture-perfect” lives by selectively choosing which aspects of their lives to share and which to withhold from the public. It is much more feasible to manipulate posts, photos, videos, etc. or to control what is left online than it is to manipulate real aspects of their life.
There are those who maliciously utilize the “anonymity” of digital spaces to contribute to the discrimination of groups or individuals, such as through cyber-bullying. As aforementioned, humans are social beings, which react to the social, cultural, and historical contexts around them, so if individuals are bullied via the internet, this will affect their perception of themselves and others. All too often, these heinous acts contribute to perceptions of body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide. Unfortunately, educators see these issues quite often, so they must pursue opportunities to educate their students about the digital identities they portray or educate them about the lack of validity or truth those malicious acts hold. Students must be aware of netiquette in order to portray their digital identities in a constructive and valuable way.
Classroom Applications
In classrooms, educators can tap into the funds of knowledge, their digital knowledge, their students enter their classroom with. Luis Moll, author, argued “that teachers must begin to value the funds of knowledge that students bring to school and use them as vehicles for literacy learning.” [2] They can foster their students’ understanding of identity in the physical sense to aid their understanding of their digital identity. Multiliteracy Theory “describes the new kind of skills readers need to negotiate electronic environments.” [2] Through a digital space, students can utilize videos, music, images, etc. to reflect their identity to a wide-reaching audience. Educators can utilize this digital space that, utilize a “social learning perspective, Internet applications that facilitate social interaction are the technology to integrate into today’s classroom.” [2] The following classroom applications are provided to assist educators in embracing the 21st literacy skills our students need:
1) Create a MySpace page for a character the students just encountered in an assigned text. [4] Embedding social networking sites assists in bridging the gap between student engagement and relevancy. “With the rise of social networking sites came a change in the way people interact with the Internet.” [2]
2) Storybird.com utilizes digital media tools to empower students to create narratives that are reflective of their voice and highlights their purpose for writing.
3) E-Portfolios provide students with the abilities to “facilitate student identity formation as they engage in the process of reflection and self-authoring.” [5]
References
[1] Lyle, S. (2000). Narrative understanding: developing a theoretical context for understanding
how children make meaning in classroom settings. Curriculum Studies, (32)1, pp. 45-63.
[2] Tracey, D. H., & Morrow, L. M. (2017). Lenses on Reading: An Introduction to Theories and
Models. New York, NY. The Guilford Press.
[3] Cardenas, D. (2004) Creating an Identity: Personal, academic, and civic literacies. In M. H.
Kelly’s, V.M. Baluster & V. Villanueva (Eds.), Latino/a discourses: On language,
identity, and literacy education (pp. 114-125). Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook
Publishers; Heinemann.
[4] Sauceda, S. M. (2009). MySpace, Write Space: An Analysis of Student Achievement in
Texts for Digital Audiences.
[5] Jones, B., & Leverenz, C. (2017). Building Personal Brands with Digital Storytelling
ePortfolios. International Journal of ePortfolio, 7(1), pp. 67-91.
- Kimberly Ortega
Monday, August 20, 2018
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Digital Identity Narrative Through Online Sharing
Online sharing
Online sharing is a pretty customary thing that almost
everyone does if they have some sort of social media account. Due to the
digital world being so vast, there are simultaneous events of every sort when
it comes to sharing online. Anyone who is on any type of social media account
like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, or anyone asking a question on Google is bound
to a digital identity that may or may not reveal whom a person is. Through
online sharing, others can react to your shares and learn from them as well.
Anything from a like or share on social media can determine who you are and
what you may be like.
Why do we share?
There are many reasons as to why a
person might share on social media, and there truly isn’t a correct answer to
why we share, but one article argued, “Consumers construct and post several
personal Web sites as a form of conspicuous self-presentation where every
element is chosen for its semiotic potential. The sites vary in complexity and
approaches but across informants, we find constructing the digital self as a telepresence
to be universal.”[1] Users not only have the freedom to share when they want,
they also gain the freedom to identify themselves with different objects such
as quotes pictures of certain things and even brands. In any sense, they sort
of brand themselves with things that define who they are or who they aspire to
be.
Another study shows that online
sharing is more of a performance because it’s like a person’s second nature to
share certain things. This article
stated, “…maintaining an ideal-authentic balance in light of frictionless
sharing and pervasive documentation means not only posting identity-affirming
content but also engaging in documentable identity activities.”[2] In other
words, some people usually prefer to be a part of an online community because
reactions don’t really have to be tied to a person, especially if online
avatars that misrepresent their true selves mask the person’s online identity.
Online sharing creates a narrative
Goffman has done a lot of research on why individuals create
second life personas to use in social media. Through his theories, a series of
studies have been done in correlation to his findings. The reality of social
networking sites is that although its taboo if you lie about who you are, it’s
not something that doesn’t occur, in fact it happens way too often. In a study
of a group of people who have online personas, some inquired that they would
never lie to their readers about anything since they’re trying to uphold an
image of who they are without disclosing too much information.[3] Although others
didn’t have the same response, whether it was changing their online avatar to
resemble someone they would like to look like, or they simply disclosed
opinions that would not be appreciated if spoken, some online users described
that being true to their suppressed voices was the reason for their anonymous
persona.[5] Whether individuals share because they like what they're sharing or they can relate to certain things, this gives readers a chance to determine an image of the person sharing such things, whether they are people who physically know them or just people they meet online.
Teens and online sharing
Other studies have shown that the most digitally active population is among teenagers with about 95% of teens in America participating in some kind of social networking sites. Although adults are also present on social networking sites, it has been proposed that teens share more willingly and without fear of what social networking sites can lead to or affect in their future. Through this study, it is seen that although teens share almost the same things, girls took more time in filtering what they share online rather than boys who just post whatever they want without any repercussions. Girls were also more adamant as to what profile picture they shared while guys didn't really care as much. However, the authors of this article found, "Girls' greater concerns about prove y and identity disclosure on social media sites may predispose them to interact with individuals they already know and trust."[4] So even though teens are more willing to openly share, they only openly share among those who already know them.
See also
Digital Identity
Digital Narrative
Identity
Online Sharing
References
[1]Gilly, Mary C. Jensen Shau, Hope. "We Are What We Post? Self-Presentation in Personal Web Space." Journal of Consumer Research, vol.30, no. 3, 2003,pp. 385-404. JSTOR.
www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/378616
www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/378616
[2]Davis, Jenny L. “Triangulating the Self: Identity Processes in a Connected Era.” Symbolic Interaction, vol. 37, no. 4, 2014, pp. 500–523. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/symbinte.37.4.500.
[3]Bullingham, Liam. Vasconcelos, Ana C. "'The presentation of self in the online world' : Goffman and the study of online identities." Journal of Information Science, vol. 39, no.1, 2013, pp. 1-12, doi:10.177/016555150000000
[4]Herring, Susan C., Kapidzic, Sanja. "Teens, Gender and Self Presentation in Social Media." International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2015. 2nd Ed.Oxford:Elsevier
[5]
www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/si.2005.28.3.387
Picture: https://www.opengovasia.com/articles/7888-australia-posts-identity-platform-to-be-adopted-by-businesses-and-government
www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/si.2005.28.3.387
Picture: https://www.opengovasia.com/articles/7888-australia-posts-identity-platform-to-be-adopted-by-businesses-and-government
Digital Identity in ESL Classrooms Wiki
Erix Flores
ENGL 6328
Colin Charlton
August 16, 2018
Contents
1.
ESL DIGITAL IDENTITY
1.1
ESL
1.2
Digital identity
2.
Digital Identity from ESL Students
2.1
ESL Digital Identity in Social Media
2.2
ESL Digital Identity in Entertainment
2.3
ESL Digital Identity in Information
2.4
ESL Digital Identity in Information
ESL DIGITAL IDENTITY
ESL Digital Identity is a concept that individuals acquire
the English language through the identity of digital age. Which means that educators develop a lesson
based from the knowledge of digital identity and implement it with learners (Rance) . This was not always the case before because
back in the late 1990s there was a booming proliferation of technological
advancement and ESL educators were starting to get the idea of integrating
technology in the classroom in order to maximize learning in English
acquisition. (Best)
is one of the pioneers of ESL when it comes to digital literacy and digital
identity. She was one of the first ESL
and college professor to start implementing technology when it comes to English
as a second language. It was a difficult
journey to take because the author had the right idea but students and staff
were resisting the concept. This is how
it started and this is how it is now, and reflecting a lot has changed in terms
to technology integration in ESL classroom and academics overall.
ESL
ESL is an acronym that stands for English as Second
Language. The concept developed by many
scholars is that ESL students have an easier time acquiring the English
language by cultural exposure and assimilation as well as using their
identities in order to make connections into the English language. There is a wide variety of definitions in the
term ESL (English as Second Language) but this is a widely accepted definition
that many experts had agreed on (Kim) .
Digital Identity
Digital Identity has embodied in many different shapes and
forms. However, a general definition of
digital identity is an identity developed based on the individual’s day-to-day
activities through the use of technology.
Digital identity can be developed but not limited to social media,
forums, entertainment, articles, educations, and the list goes endlessly. Scholars have argued that digital identity
empowers people even more due to the fact that individuals in the digital world
can perform more than in the world.
Digital identity has taken many different definitions that it is
dependent upon individual on how they want to make their own digital identity
and make up their definition on what digital identity is. One thing is for sure, digital identity needs
to come from some form of device which can be a computer, phone, tablet,
television, and things of that nature.
Moreover, the components within the devices that makes up for digital
identity is upon the person; whether the person forms an identity through video
gaming or use of social media is up to the, but those mentioned are not limited
to digital identity there are endless factors to keep in mind.
Digital Identity from
ESL Students
Civilization live in a digital world where individuals are
depended upon technology and digital identity in order to get by from their
day-to-day activities. Moreover, most of
the ESL learners especially from the elementary and secondary level have
ingrained the technological know-how which means that these learners’
upbringing consisted in the use of technology, and have developed this sense of
identity in the digital world. Research
has shown that today’s ESL learners learn better with the use of technology and
embedding the lesson with entertainment, articles, information in the digital
world (Chamberlin-Quinlisk) .
ESL Digital Identity
in Social Media
Many ESL students develop this sense of identity with the
use of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and many
more. It is important for an ESL
educator to pinpoint these aspect of the English learners due to the fact that
many teachers develop a lesson that is connected with the current trend that is
going around Facebook and Instagram (Chamberlin-Quinlisk) .
ESL Digital Identity
in Entertainment
ESL learners have the tendency to access forms of
entertainment in the digital world such as YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, and
more. (Chamberlin-Quinlisk) have developed that
ESL educators can help maximize learning by using that information that they
already know into the lesson so they can acquire the English language with
something they like and have an easier time learning (Chamberlin-Quinlisk) .
ESL Digital Identity
in Information
For the most part, ESL learners have the tendency of
accessing information in their native language when it comes to finding out
something that they might be in doubt. (Chamberlin-Quinlisk) and more experts
have said that ESL teachers take that information from what English learners
know and translate it to the English language since they will have an easier
time making the connections since they have prior knowledge of the content (Chamberlin-Quinlisk) .
ESL Digital Identity
in Culture
Reference and Notes
Best, Linda.
“Planning and Implementing the Multimedia Networked ESL Laboratory
Classroom.” Research and Teaching in Developmental Education, vol.
14, no. 2, 1998, pp. 75–86. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42801999.
Cassidy,
Jacquelyn A. “Computer-Assisted Language Arts Instruction for the ESL
Learner.” The English Journal, vol. 85, no. 8, 1996, pp.
55–57. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/820043.
CHAMBERLIN-QUINLISK, CARLA. “TESOL
and Media Education: Navigating Our Screen-Saturated Worlds.” TESOL Quarterly,
vol. 46, no. 1, 2012, pp. 152–164. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41576033.
Rance-Roney,
Judith. “Jump-Starting Language and Schema for English-Language Learners:
Teacher-Composed Digital Jumpstarts for Academic Reading.” Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 53, no. 5, 2010, pp. 386–395. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25614572.
Kim, Yanghee.
“Designing a Robot for Cultural Brokering in Education.” Educational
Technology, vol. 56, no. 4, 2016, pp. 41–43. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/44430477.
Karina Juarez--Wiki Post
Karina Juarez--Wiki Post
Construction of a Multimodal Digital Identity
Introduction:
When students compose with technology and engage in multimodal composition, they, deliberately, choose to appropriate a discourse by using semiotic resources, knowledge of social media, knowledge of rhetorical conventions, and their lived experiences of existing in a social world in order to construct their digital identities. This article will examine how a multimodal digital identity is constructed via social networks and digital technologies.
Digital Social Identity:
Social networks are pervasive and the majority of students, ranging from middle-school through undergraduate college seniors own a smartphone to have access to social networks apps that keep them connected to their network of friends. When students compose on popular social media sites, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat, they are composing with digital tools and technologies. By studying students’ digital literacy practices on social network sites, Composition teachers can gain an understanding of the way in which students’ composing practices on social network sites construct their identities as writers. In the article entitled, “Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites”, Amber Buck conducts a study of the composing practices of a student named Ronnie, and his interactions among his various social platforms, to attempt to understand his digital literacy practices. In her study, she cites Lankshear and Knobel (2008), who state that digital literacy is defined as, “a shorthand for the myriad social practices and conceptions of engaging in meaning making mediated by texts that are produced, received, distributed, exchanged, etc., via digital codification” (10). This suggests that writing does not occur in isolation; rather, digital literacy practices must be seen as occurring within an ecology of writing. When students write on social network sites, their writing is the product of the digital tools at their disposal, such as their smartphones, digital cameras, laptops, or tablets.
In my own experience, posting on Facebook is a social practice that occurs via digital codification, because I use my iPhone to post status updates or to edit pictures that I choose to upload to Facebook. Due to the proliferation of the smartphones over the last decade, many persons are utilizing these devices to share on their social media sites. For example, I have a Facebook profile and an iPhone, which I’ve used to download the Facebook App. When I choose to post on Facebook, I usually take videos and pictures with my iPhone and upload them to Facebook, accompanied by a caption that describes what is occurring in those photos. When something meaningful happens, like a day out with my friends, I post some pictures and upload them to Facebook. My writing on social networks does not occur in isolation; it is influenced by the events that happen in my life every day. Therefore, one factor that shapes the construction of multimodal digital identity is the social practices of persons who use social media platforms to socialize with persons in their social networks.
Social network sites also have affordances for their users. Buck states that “web-based services allow individuals to (1) Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system (2) Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (11). Thus, in her study of Ronnie’s social network sites, she discovered that he describes himself as a “publisher” who creates online content for others. Ronnie stated, “I try to keep my followers greater than the number of people I’m following because, you know, it’s just like my, I guess, weird habit. All the big people who tweet have—tend to have—more followers than people they’re following, so I feel like in a way that I am a publisher and not just someone who’s following people.” (14). Upon analyzing the quotation from this student, it is interesting to note that he describes himself as a “publisher” who is choosing to write on his social networks for a specific audience. What this statement implies about “digital identity” and “real-life” identity, is that there is not a disconnect between the person he is in real-life, and who he is when he posts content on social network sites. Ronnie is aware of how his posts will be perceived by his Twitter followers. Behind the screen, there is a person composing, for a specific audience, and Ronnie is using specialized language to create his audience, which are his Twitter followers.
Regarding the construction of multimodal digital identity, what this suggests is that students deliberately choose who their audience will be on social network sites. The student described above, named Ronnie, posts on Twitter and he perceives himself as a “publisher” who is publishing Tweets for his audience. This student is able to take advantage of the affordances of social media by carefully crafting the language of his Tweets, to reach the audience he wants to communicate with. For Ronnie, Twitter is a site that allows him to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system by tailoring every Tweet to fit within the limit of 280 characters. His profile can be public if chooses not to have his tweets protected, and this will allow him to reach a larger audience. Also, Ronnie is able to view and traverse his list of connections and those made by others within Twitter. Twitter allows users to follow each other because users are able to see who they are following and who is following them.
Examining a class with a wiki requirement is a good example of studying how an online space can be designed to invite a specific type of audience. For example, in my graduate school experience, one of my professors mandated that classroom discussion of weekly readings be continued on a wiki page that he created for the purpose of the class. Each student who was enrolled in the class needed to sign up for access to this website, with a link provided by the professor, and an email address. Although this site was not meant to replicate Facebook, it enabled students to ask questions about the course assignments (via a discussion thread), or to send a private message to the professor. One useful aspect of this wiki page was the fact that it allowed students in the class to post their responses to the assigned readings, and classmates, as well as the professor, would continue the discussion thread throughout the week. Therefore, this wiki page was an online space that invited, and required, a form of social participation from each of the students enrolled in the course.
Digital Identity as a Multimodal Construction
In the construction of multimodal digital identity, a meaningful element is an individual’s knowledge of familiar genres. For example, if a student watches YouTube videos, by subscribing to a channel that they are interested in, they will likely approach an assignment that requires multimodality, by applying video production and editing conventions, similar to those found on YouTube. In the article entitled, “From Screen to Screen: Students’ Use of Popular Culture Genres in Multimodal Writing Assignments”, Brownyn T. Williams, explores, through student interviews and textual analysis, how student responses to multimodal assignments in college writing courses draw on popular culture genres, both explicitly and implicitly, in ways that students find unremarkable, but of which their instructors are often unaware. Williams argues that what has gone largely unexamined in the production of multimodal composition assignments is how, “the influence of popular culture influences students’ conceptions of and approaches to composing digital video and image assignments” (111). Therefore, students’ use of popular culture genres as a rhetorical and semiotic resource for their course work can result in texts that are creative and engaging.
According to Williams, a number of theorists have argued that, “genre is more productively perceived as the result of social actions and relationships that are mediated through particular texts; consequently, genre simultaneously shapes social relationships and actions that are enacted through rhetoric and is highly contextual” (113). Upon analyzing this quotation, it is evident that students’ multimodal productions are the result of social actions, which suggests that their digital identities are connected to their real-life identities and their lived experiences in the worlds that they inhabit. Students draw on their knowledge of genres that are familiar to them, and on their knowledge of rhetorical conventions, to compose and this results in the creation of an audience.
For example, if I were assigned to write a video narrative about my weekend on Instagram, I’d probably take multiple pictures and videos of the events that happened over the weekend. Based on my knowledge of posting an Instagram story, I’d probably record short videos that do not exceed more than one minute in length, and I would take several pictures of my activities throughout the day, as well as some selfies (pictures of myself) to post to my Instagram story. If I wanted to adjust the color and lighting of a photo, I could accomplish this with the photo filters that are provided on Instagram. Therefore, posting an Instagram story would be the result of my knowledge of composing with Instagram.
Rhetorical Knowledge and Digital Tools
Another important element to consider is the fact that when students are being assigned to produce a digital composition, students draw on their knowledge of rhetoric and elements such as audience, context, genre, ethos, pathos, and logos to produce their digital work. Digital media technologies and rhetorical knowledge are enabling students to construct their identities, as writers, for multiple rhetorical contexts and audiences. Students are, increasingly, utilizing their knowledge of digital technologies, referred to in this article as, “antecedent knowledge”, to compose because their instructors are, in, some cases, expecting them to compose for a YouTube video, or in a genre that, somehow, involves digital tools. Williams argues that when students use their existing knowledge to produce a digital text, the results may not precisely be what their instructor expects. In order to understand how students use their “antecedent knowledge” of popular genres (such as YouTube videos or television programs) to compose, Williams studies the composing process of students and asks them to reflect on their writing and any challenges they may have experienced in completing their assignments. For example, a student named Marie, researched the literacy practices of football fans, and, as an English major, she had minimal experience in composing multimodal texts. As she began working through ideas for her project, she decided that she wanted to argue that being in fantasy football league changed how fans watched games as they paid more attention to how individual players performed and earned fantasy points than they did about whether a team won or lost. She reflected, “If I blended together what the video games look like and sports broadcasts, with the fantasy football way of seeing a game, I could make it change the way you see all of them at once” (117). At the same time that Marie was using content and conventions from different genres of sportscast and video games, she was conscious of setting up her video in a way that used conventions from remixing videos of title cards, juxtaposing images and overlapping sound. In the example of this student, it becomes apparent to see that she utilizes her knowledge of writing, considering that she is an English major, and decides to research about football fantasy leagues. This student is also familiar with video games, and she combines this knowledge with her digital production skills in order to create a video that is engaging to her audience. Therefore, this case illustrates how one student has combined her knowledge of rhetoric and of digital production to construct a multimodal video project for her class.
As a result of this study, the authors conclude that teachers should help students to appropriate their knowledge of popular genres to fulfill expectations for a course that requires digital composing. Williams offers the following pedagogical implication for Composition teachers, “The opportunity provided by digital media to produce multimodal texts means that students can now use their knowledge of popular culture genres not only in interpretive contexts, but also as a compositional resource as well” (119). The implication of this quotation is that if teachers start with what students know from popular culture genres and engage them in reflecting on that knowledge, they will develop a more critical understanding of how and why these genre conventions work as they do in popular culture. This type of approach can result in multimodal writing that crosses or challenges genres as well as the critical knowledge of how genre shapes, and is shaped by, writing in context.
In the article entitled, “Embedding Digital Literacies in English Language Teaching: Students' Digital Video Projects as Multimodal Ensembles”, Christoph A. Hafner argues that as a result of recent developments in digital technologies, new genres as well as new contexts for communication are emerging. The article describes an undergraduate course in English for science at a university in Hong Kong, which incorporated elements of digital literacies. The analysis shows that students met the challenge of writing for an authentic audience by combining a range of modes to develop an effective rhetorical “hook” and appropriate discoursal identity in their efforts to appeal to their audience (655). The students in Hafner’s study were assigned to produce a digital video scientific documentary shared through YouTube with a non-specialist audience and a written lab report, designed for a specialist audience. This study investigates the first task, where students shared a video through YouTube. Hafner defines the term called new literacy studies and states that, according to scholars such as Barton, Gee, and Street, “literacy is more than a mere set of cognitive skills located in individual minds, because it is socially situated in the contexts of literacy events. Different literacy events call for different kinds of reading and writing” (657). This quotation is meaningful in understanding the construction of students’ digital identities as writers because it implies that literacy is socially situated in the minds of students and that different writing assignments necessitate engaging in various non-traditional methods and different tools for writing.
The process of designing involves rhetorical strategies in the design of multimodal ensembles, where strategies are meant to realize the designer’s communicative intent. In one student production, Hafner found that video evokes a drama which tells a personal story. In order to catch the attention of the audience, the two students, who were working together on this assignment, present their topic as an investigation of a personal issue, and they use an overarching narrative to unify the documentary. The documentary follows 2 students who believe that they have become sick and it follows the students as they go to the library to do research and form their hypothesis and collect data. In attempting to manage this blend of narrative and scientific report the students have created a script, which records their conversation and which shifts between the different pragmatic demands of the language of conversation and the science of language (676). The students used music in order to make their documentary accessible and less intimidating for a non-specialist audience. The story is told through visuals and with multiple camera angles. At times, the footage is a bit bumpy, but this fits well for 2 students who are on an adventure. Interestingly, the narrator role is prominent, in the style of a participatory documentary with documentary makers participating actively in the narrative. Viewers are invited to identify with the protagonists and follow along with their story. According to Hafner, this case was participatory, because the narrator became the focal point of the video and conveyed a one-sided point of view. At the same time the video project opens up many interesting alternative modes of expression for students and it also provides students with many opportunities for spoken and written language practice (680). In relation to digital identity and composition, it is noteworthy that students are able to assume the role of narrator and invite their audience to follow along with the message that their video is attempting to convey.
References
Buck, Amber. “Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites.” Research in the Teaching of English, vol. 47, no. 1, 2012, pp. 9–38. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41583603.
Hafner, Christoph A. “Embedding Digital Literacies in English Language Teaching: Students' Digital Video Projects as Multimodal Ensembles.” TESOL Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 4, 2014, pp. 655–685. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43268012.
Roach, A., & Beck, J. (2012). Before Coffee, Facebook: New Literacy Learning for 21st Century Teachers. Language Arts, 89(4), 244-255. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezhost.utrgv.edu:2048/stable/41804342
Williams, Bronwyn T. “From Screen to Screen: Students' Use of Popular Culture Genres in Multimodal Writing Assignments.” Computers and Composition, vol. 34, 11 Oct. 2014, pp. 110–121. Science Direct, www-sciencedirect- com.ezhost.utrgv.edu/science/article/pii/S8755461514000656.
Construction of a Multimodal Digital Identity
Introduction:
When students compose with technology and engage in multimodal composition, they, deliberately, choose to appropriate a discourse by using semiotic resources, knowledge of social media, knowledge of rhetorical conventions, and their lived experiences of existing in a social world in order to construct their digital identities. This article will examine how a multimodal digital identity is constructed via social networks and digital technologies.
Digital Social Identity:
Social networks are pervasive and the majority of students, ranging from middle-school through undergraduate college seniors own a smartphone to have access to social networks apps that keep them connected to their network of friends. When students compose on popular social media sites, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat, they are composing with digital tools and technologies. By studying students’ digital literacy practices on social network sites, Composition teachers can gain an understanding of the way in which students’ composing practices on social network sites construct their identities as writers. In the article entitled, “Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites”, Amber Buck conducts a study of the composing practices of a student named Ronnie, and his interactions among his various social platforms, to attempt to understand his digital literacy practices. In her study, she cites Lankshear and Knobel (2008), who state that digital literacy is defined as, “a shorthand for the myriad social practices and conceptions of engaging in meaning making mediated by texts that are produced, received, distributed, exchanged, etc., via digital codification” (10). This suggests that writing does not occur in isolation; rather, digital literacy practices must be seen as occurring within an ecology of writing. When students write on social network sites, their writing is the product of the digital tools at their disposal, such as their smartphones, digital cameras, laptops, or tablets.
In my own experience, posting on Facebook is a social practice that occurs via digital codification, because I use my iPhone to post status updates or to edit pictures that I choose to upload to Facebook. Due to the proliferation of the smartphones over the last decade, many persons are utilizing these devices to share on their social media sites. For example, I have a Facebook profile and an iPhone, which I’ve used to download the Facebook App. When I choose to post on Facebook, I usually take videos and pictures with my iPhone and upload them to Facebook, accompanied by a caption that describes what is occurring in those photos. When something meaningful happens, like a day out with my friends, I post some pictures and upload them to Facebook. My writing on social networks does not occur in isolation; it is influenced by the events that happen in my life every day. Therefore, one factor that shapes the construction of multimodal digital identity is the social practices of persons who use social media platforms to socialize with persons in their social networks.
Social network sites also have affordances for their users. Buck states that “web-based services allow individuals to (1) Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system (2) Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (11). Thus, in her study of Ronnie’s social network sites, she discovered that he describes himself as a “publisher” who creates online content for others. Ronnie stated, “I try to keep my followers greater than the number of people I’m following because, you know, it’s just like my, I guess, weird habit. All the big people who tweet have—tend to have—more followers than people they’re following, so I feel like in a way that I am a publisher and not just someone who’s following people.” (14). Upon analyzing the quotation from this student, it is interesting to note that he describes himself as a “publisher” who is choosing to write on his social networks for a specific audience. What this statement implies about “digital identity” and “real-life” identity, is that there is not a disconnect between the person he is in real-life, and who he is when he posts content on social network sites. Ronnie is aware of how his posts will be perceived by his Twitter followers. Behind the screen, there is a person composing, for a specific audience, and Ronnie is using specialized language to create his audience, which are his Twitter followers.
Regarding the construction of multimodal digital identity, what this suggests is that students deliberately choose who their audience will be on social network sites. The student described above, named Ronnie, posts on Twitter and he perceives himself as a “publisher” who is publishing Tweets for his audience. This student is able to take advantage of the affordances of social media by carefully crafting the language of his Tweets, to reach the audience he wants to communicate with. For Ronnie, Twitter is a site that allows him to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system by tailoring every Tweet to fit within the limit of 280 characters. His profile can be public if chooses not to have his tweets protected, and this will allow him to reach a larger audience. Also, Ronnie is able to view and traverse his list of connections and those made by others within Twitter. Twitter allows users to follow each other because users are able to see who they are following and who is following them.
Examining a class with a wiki requirement is a good example of studying how an online space can be designed to invite a specific type of audience. For example, in my graduate school experience, one of my professors mandated that classroom discussion of weekly readings be continued on a wiki page that he created for the purpose of the class. Each student who was enrolled in the class needed to sign up for access to this website, with a link provided by the professor, and an email address. Although this site was not meant to replicate Facebook, it enabled students to ask questions about the course assignments (via a discussion thread), or to send a private message to the professor. One useful aspect of this wiki page was the fact that it allowed students in the class to post their responses to the assigned readings, and classmates, as well as the professor, would continue the discussion thread throughout the week. Therefore, this wiki page was an online space that invited, and required, a form of social participation from each of the students enrolled in the course.
Digital Identity as a Multimodal Construction
In the construction of multimodal digital identity, a meaningful element is an individual’s knowledge of familiar genres. For example, if a student watches YouTube videos, by subscribing to a channel that they are interested in, they will likely approach an assignment that requires multimodality, by applying video production and editing conventions, similar to those found on YouTube. In the article entitled, “From Screen to Screen: Students’ Use of Popular Culture Genres in Multimodal Writing Assignments”, Brownyn T. Williams, explores, through student interviews and textual analysis, how student responses to multimodal assignments in college writing courses draw on popular culture genres, both explicitly and implicitly, in ways that students find unremarkable, but of which their instructors are often unaware. Williams argues that what has gone largely unexamined in the production of multimodal composition assignments is how, “the influence of popular culture influences students’ conceptions of and approaches to composing digital video and image assignments” (111). Therefore, students’ use of popular culture genres as a rhetorical and semiotic resource for their course work can result in texts that are creative and engaging.
According to Williams, a number of theorists have argued that, “genre is more productively perceived as the result of social actions and relationships that are mediated through particular texts; consequently, genre simultaneously shapes social relationships and actions that are enacted through rhetoric and is highly contextual” (113). Upon analyzing this quotation, it is evident that students’ multimodal productions are the result of social actions, which suggests that their digital identities are connected to their real-life identities and their lived experiences in the worlds that they inhabit. Students draw on their knowledge of genres that are familiar to them, and on their knowledge of rhetorical conventions, to compose and this results in the creation of an audience.
For example, if I were assigned to write a video narrative about my weekend on Instagram, I’d probably take multiple pictures and videos of the events that happened over the weekend. Based on my knowledge of posting an Instagram story, I’d probably record short videos that do not exceed more than one minute in length, and I would take several pictures of my activities throughout the day, as well as some selfies (pictures of myself) to post to my Instagram story. If I wanted to adjust the color and lighting of a photo, I could accomplish this with the photo filters that are provided on Instagram. Therefore, posting an Instagram story would be the result of my knowledge of composing with Instagram.
Rhetorical Knowledge and Digital Tools
Another important element to consider is the fact that when students are being assigned to produce a digital composition, students draw on their knowledge of rhetoric and elements such as audience, context, genre, ethos, pathos, and logos to produce their digital work. Digital media technologies and rhetorical knowledge are enabling students to construct their identities, as writers, for multiple rhetorical contexts and audiences. Students are, increasingly, utilizing their knowledge of digital technologies, referred to in this article as, “antecedent knowledge”, to compose because their instructors are, in, some cases, expecting them to compose for a YouTube video, or in a genre that, somehow, involves digital tools. Williams argues that when students use their existing knowledge to produce a digital text, the results may not precisely be what their instructor expects. In order to understand how students use their “antecedent knowledge” of popular genres (such as YouTube videos or television programs) to compose, Williams studies the composing process of students and asks them to reflect on their writing and any challenges they may have experienced in completing their assignments. For example, a student named Marie, researched the literacy practices of football fans, and, as an English major, she had minimal experience in composing multimodal texts. As she began working through ideas for her project, she decided that she wanted to argue that being in fantasy football league changed how fans watched games as they paid more attention to how individual players performed and earned fantasy points than they did about whether a team won or lost. She reflected, “If I blended together what the video games look like and sports broadcasts, with the fantasy football way of seeing a game, I could make it change the way you see all of them at once” (117). At the same time that Marie was using content and conventions from different genres of sportscast and video games, she was conscious of setting up her video in a way that used conventions from remixing videos of title cards, juxtaposing images and overlapping sound. In the example of this student, it becomes apparent to see that she utilizes her knowledge of writing, considering that she is an English major, and decides to research about football fantasy leagues. This student is also familiar with video games, and she combines this knowledge with her digital production skills in order to create a video that is engaging to her audience. Therefore, this case illustrates how one student has combined her knowledge of rhetoric and of digital production to construct a multimodal video project for her class.
As a result of this study, the authors conclude that teachers should help students to appropriate their knowledge of popular genres to fulfill expectations for a course that requires digital composing. Williams offers the following pedagogical implication for Composition teachers, “The opportunity provided by digital media to produce multimodal texts means that students can now use their knowledge of popular culture genres not only in interpretive contexts, but also as a compositional resource as well” (119). The implication of this quotation is that if teachers start with what students know from popular culture genres and engage them in reflecting on that knowledge, they will develop a more critical understanding of how and why these genre conventions work as they do in popular culture. This type of approach can result in multimodal writing that crosses or challenges genres as well as the critical knowledge of how genre shapes, and is shaped by, writing in context.
In the article entitled, “Embedding Digital Literacies in English Language Teaching: Students' Digital Video Projects as Multimodal Ensembles”, Christoph A. Hafner argues that as a result of recent developments in digital technologies, new genres as well as new contexts for communication are emerging. The article describes an undergraduate course in English for science at a university in Hong Kong, which incorporated elements of digital literacies. The analysis shows that students met the challenge of writing for an authentic audience by combining a range of modes to develop an effective rhetorical “hook” and appropriate discoursal identity in their efforts to appeal to their audience (655). The students in Hafner’s study were assigned to produce a digital video scientific documentary shared through YouTube with a non-specialist audience and a written lab report, designed for a specialist audience. This study investigates the first task, where students shared a video through YouTube. Hafner defines the term called new literacy studies and states that, according to scholars such as Barton, Gee, and Street, “literacy is more than a mere set of cognitive skills located in individual minds, because it is socially situated in the contexts of literacy events. Different literacy events call for different kinds of reading and writing” (657). This quotation is meaningful in understanding the construction of students’ digital identities as writers because it implies that literacy is socially situated in the minds of students and that different writing assignments necessitate engaging in various non-traditional methods and different tools for writing.
The process of designing involves rhetorical strategies in the design of multimodal ensembles, where strategies are meant to realize the designer’s communicative intent. In one student production, Hafner found that video evokes a drama which tells a personal story. In order to catch the attention of the audience, the two students, who were working together on this assignment, present their topic as an investigation of a personal issue, and they use an overarching narrative to unify the documentary. The documentary follows 2 students who believe that they have become sick and it follows the students as they go to the library to do research and form their hypothesis and collect data. In attempting to manage this blend of narrative and scientific report the students have created a script, which records their conversation and which shifts between the different pragmatic demands of the language of conversation and the science of language (676). The students used music in order to make their documentary accessible and less intimidating for a non-specialist audience. The story is told through visuals and with multiple camera angles. At times, the footage is a bit bumpy, but this fits well for 2 students who are on an adventure. Interestingly, the narrator role is prominent, in the style of a participatory documentary with documentary makers participating actively in the narrative. Viewers are invited to identify with the protagonists and follow along with their story. According to Hafner, this case was participatory, because the narrator became the focal point of the video and conveyed a one-sided point of view. At the same time the video project opens up many interesting alternative modes of expression for students and it also provides students with many opportunities for spoken and written language practice (680). In relation to digital identity and composition, it is noteworthy that students are able to assume the role of narrator and invite their audience to follow along with the message that their video is attempting to convey.
References
Buck, Amber. “Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites.” Research in the Teaching of English, vol. 47, no. 1, 2012, pp. 9–38. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41583603.
Hafner, Christoph A. “Embedding Digital Literacies in English Language Teaching: Students' Digital Video Projects as Multimodal Ensembles.” TESOL Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 4, 2014, pp. 655–685. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43268012.
Roach, A., & Beck, J. (2012). Before Coffee, Facebook: New Literacy Learning for 21st Century Teachers. Language Arts, 89(4), 244-255. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezhost.utrgv.edu:2048/stable/41804342
Williams, Bronwyn T. “From Screen to Screen: Students' Use of Popular Culture Genres in Multimodal Writing Assignments.” Computers and Composition, vol. 34, 11 Oct. 2014, pp. 110–121. Science Direct, www-sciencedirect- com.ezhost.utrgv.edu/science/article/pii/S8755461514000656.
Sophia Rodriguez WIKI PAGE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Srodriguez900/sandbox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Srodriguez900/sandbox
TED Ed, TED Talks, and TED Youth Clubs
TED Talks are forms of speeches that date back to ancient Greece, where many great intellectuals, doctors, lawyers, scholars, professors, politicians gathered to speak to each other about their ideas and findings. They shared what they believed was most important and beneficial for the citizens to know. Then, on February 23, 1984, the first TED Talk video was released: "TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages." The purpose of these TED Talk videos are not for any financial benefits, but simply for the benefit of sharing information and spreading it across countries, breaking religious, cultural, and language boundaries.
Audience
Aside from TED Talks being a "global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world," it is also for the curious person, the life-long learner. [1] When I first heard of TED Talks, I asked myself "How much do I have to pay to watch these videos?" The answer was nothing. The website was free to the public. Anyone with a computer, phone, or anything with internet had access to these videos. Slowly, more and more people began tuning in. It got to the point where I even saw Rita F. Pierson's video "Every Kid Needs a Champion" video as an opener in my New Teacher Training Academy for LFCISD. [2] The audience has grown so much, fitting hundreds of topics and categories. They are very much like Podcasts. Again, when I first heard of Podcast, they seemed like a foreign, complicated, abstract, techy thing to access. I didn't think Podcasts necessary to me, and I found now gain or benefit in discovering what they were. However, one day, I tapped the app, and with the click of a button, I accessed hundreds and thousands of stories, information, facts, recipes, and so much more through Podcasts. Informative and widespread services like these really shape our modern world.
Initiative
After digging deeper, looking through many TED Talks and analyzing them, trying to find what they have in common, the realization that almost every TED Talk is linked to one's identity whether it is about their search for it through hobbies, or about how their identity helped them overcome an obstacle, or simply share tips and advice on how to love yourself, how to be successful, and how to be you. The pattern of identity has always been the backbone of TED Talks. The power of a TED video can have so much impact on a person. It can inspire them to be themselves, be who they want to be, do what their heart desires, change the world, become better, inspire others, help others, and all the while, learning. The curiosity of a person can drive them to the whole world and back, and still ask for more.
TED Youth
The widespread videos and influence of TED Talks have increased so much throughout the years that TED Talks are now reaching the future of our world: children. There is a whole section on TED Youth where children ranging from the future artist, performer, engineer, politician, to even scientists and teachers or doctors. These TED Youth talks are so much more viral and impactful at the young age because they are so easily influenced by these positive, curious, life-learning skills.
[3] Just to note how powerful and influential these TED Talks are, I wanted to say that I will be starting a TED-Ed Club in my middle school. I am so excited because the kids already have a few topics that spark their passion and push them to the curiosity side of them.
Overall, that's what TED Talks are all about, they satisfy that curious personality within us. They influence us to continue learning, to be better, to strive, to reach out to our own identity and grow with it.
TED Ed, TED Talks, and TED Youth Clubs
TED Talks are forms of speeches that date back to ancient Greece, where many great intellectuals, doctors, lawyers, scholars, professors, politicians gathered to speak to each other about their ideas and findings. They shared what they believed was most important and beneficial for the citizens to know. Then, on February 23, 1984, the first TED Talk video was released: "TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages." The purpose of these TED Talk videos are not for any financial benefits, but simply for the benefit of sharing information and spreading it across countries, breaking religious, cultural, and language boundaries.
Audience
Aside from TED Talks being a "global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world," it is also for the curious person, the life-long learner. [1] When I first heard of TED Talks, I asked myself "How much do I have to pay to watch these videos?" The answer was nothing. The website was free to the public. Anyone with a computer, phone, or anything with internet had access to these videos. Slowly, more and more people began tuning in. It got to the point where I even saw Rita F. Pierson's video "Every Kid Needs a Champion" video as an opener in my New Teacher Training Academy for LFCISD. [2] The audience has grown so much, fitting hundreds of topics and categories. They are very much like Podcasts. Again, when I first heard of Podcast, they seemed like a foreign, complicated, abstract, techy thing to access. I didn't think Podcasts necessary to me, and I found now gain or benefit in discovering what they were. However, one day, I tapped the app, and with the click of a button, I accessed hundreds and thousands of stories, information, facts, recipes, and so much more through Podcasts. Informative and widespread services like these really shape our modern world.
Initiative
After digging deeper, looking through many TED Talks and analyzing them, trying to find what they have in common, the realization that almost every TED Talk is linked to one's identity whether it is about their search for it through hobbies, or about how their identity helped them overcome an obstacle, or simply share tips and advice on how to love yourself, how to be successful, and how to be you. The pattern of identity has always been the backbone of TED Talks. The power of a TED video can have so much impact on a person. It can inspire them to be themselves, be who they want to be, do what their heart desires, change the world, become better, inspire others, help others, and all the while, learning. The curiosity of a person can drive them to the whole world and back, and still ask for more.
TED Youth
The widespread videos and influence of TED Talks have increased so much throughout the years that TED Talks are now reaching the future of our world: children. There is a whole section on TED Youth where children ranging from the future artist, performer, engineer, politician, to even scientists and teachers or doctors. These TED Youth talks are so much more viral and impactful at the young age because they are so easily influenced by these positive, curious, life-learning skills.
[3] Just to note how powerful and influential these TED Talks are, I wanted to say that I will be starting a TED-Ed Club in my middle school. I am so excited because the kids already have a few topics that spark their passion and push them to the curiosity side of them.
Overall, that's what TED Talks are all about, they satisfy that curious personality within us. They influence us to continue learning, to be better, to strive, to reach out to our own identity and grow with it.
Friday, August 17, 2018
Rebecca Reyes -- Wiki Post
Digital Identities within the LGBTQ Community
Identity is no longer
something that exists in the physical sense. With the increase of digital
technology, we now have digital
identities. “The digital world has created a new domain separate and yet
embedded within several aspects of our lives—a domain where one can create an
identity as one uses those technological features and contributes to the
digital world, whether one knows it or not”[1].
This domain has acted as a platform to speak for and against causes, to create
connections across space and time, and to learn more about the self through
interacting with the interaction of technology.
Digital identities do not just belong to one person. A digital
identity belongs to everyone. The individual is never entirely individual.
There are external forces at play that either work for or against them. “Identities
as narratives are never created out of whole cloth, never uniquely individual,
but rather each narrative is a retelling, an act of social interaction, a
positioned intervention in the shared, contested narratives of a given culture”[2].
There are so many limits set upon each person based off
race, culture, economic class, region, family relations, sexual orientation,
gender, etc. While some may argue that they determine who they are in spite of
those limits, society still plays such a large role in how a person begins to
define themselves and how they are defined by the outside world. Society labels
others under certain categories. When seen under a particular classification,
there are numerous of stereotypes, discriminations, advantages, privileges,
etc. that direct which path that an individual is able to walk.
Within the LGBTQ community, there have been many instances
where an individual’s voice online is the only means by which others will hear
what they need to say. From coming out videos on YouTube to advocating for
political change—the LGBTQ community has found that they can create an identity
that is validated and seen through
digital media. Although there are still many who discriminate and abuse,
digital media has allowed for the LGBTQ community to create a rhetorical space
where individuals can be remembered, become stronger individuals, and create a
positive change for those who have been marginalized for their sexual
orientation.
Marginalization of the LGBTQ Community
Heteronomativity is the framework by which society is built
upon. Any sexual orientation or swaying from the gender binary is abnormal. For
individuals in the LGBTQ community, their “abnormality” in sexual orientation
or gender identification has left them to experience numerous discriminations,
violence, stereotypes, and omission from history.
When being discriminated against, the LGBTQ community has
been known to take the blame for their ridicule and abuse. For example, in a World of Warcraft, an online blog was
created to support the LGBTQ players of WoW. When they were banned to prevent
potential abuse, one user supportive of this ban defended the action by
claiming, “You can do 2 things to prevent abuse: either do not provoke them by
not advertising as LGBTQ friendly, or just ignore the bigots”[3].
Thus, those who are a part of this community must hide their true identity
because they are part of a group of people that do not follow the
heteronormative framework of a game that does not require for the characters to
be gendered. This is just one instance of how the LGBTQ community has been
marginalized online. Structuring these individuals as responsible for their
abuse takes away responsibility from a society that is unaccepting of diversity.
Although the LGBTQ community may be the minority, it does not imply that they
are inferior to the majority.
The LGBTQ community has taken steps to begin to make
homosexuality and gender fluidity not just a tolerated but an accepted part of
society. Much of this work has been done through digital media as individuals
have forged and sustained minority identities.
Making the Invisible Visible
Microblogging
Microblogging is the practice of posting online through
text, photos, or videos. It also includes the sharing, or reblogging, of
material that may or may not be your own. With this, content is seen by more
than just an individual’s inner circle—it is accessible to all of the public. Online
sites have become a means by which minority groups are able to counter the
narrative of the past that may have been omitted. In the LBGTQ community, there
are histories that are more than just the official historical records and
archives that we currently have.
One form of microblogging allows for online identities to combat/contrast
what an identity is perceived as offline. Termed lifestreaming—“a rhetorical
act of streaming documents, texts, and visuals to curate an imagined and real
self”—individuals post material they feel embodies who their true selves are
while simultaneously combatting inequality2. With the advancement of
technology, social media has turned digital photography into a literacy
practice. Lifestreaming is both an archive and an outlet for political, social,
and personal change. The moment someone posts a selfie, a status, or blog,
their story becomes accessible to the public. Through this digital literacy
practice, we see that “there’s an identity beyond the physical body”2.
Tumblr is one of the more well-known forms of microblogging.
In this website, photographs and texts are used as a means for many individuals
to provide counter-narratives to the identities that society has given them.
One group of individuals in the LGBTQ community who has taken advantage of this
form of identity creation is the younger generation. As LGBTQ youth,
lifestreaming has opened up the opportunity to provide “topographies of visual
representation to write a self that felt most real to them. Identities in which
their sexuality and gender, alongside of their youth status, were not
peripheral to their everyday lives, but central”2. Many youth see
the discrimination taking place or are experiencing bullying for their sexual
orientation. Lifestreaming opens up an avenue to express themselves to people
who may be more accepting than those they experience in the physical world and
also offers an opportunity to change the narrow views of those around them.
Social Media
In every event, there are always multiple perspectives.
However, the perspective that is usually the dominantly heard one is that of
people in power. The LGBTQ community has been one that has not seen much
acceptance. Because of that, there has been bisexual erasure—the omitting of
any homosexuality in history. To fight back against this, gay communities have
created groups on social media that allow for archiving as a means of providing
a counter-narrative to the history that has been written.
The purpose of these groups is to create a community of
belonging through notions of the past and shared experiences (both past and
present). This allows for communities to share their stories, sometimes giving
alternative perspectives of historical events. With the collective memories of
many, this form of digital archiving gives members a means of connection, validation,
and maintenance of their diverse sexual identities through a platform
accessible to anyone5. Because of its public availability, people
who are not a part of this community can begin to understand the history of
other individuals whom they would have otherwise never known. It is a form of
rewriting history and opening up the door of validity for groups that are
typically marginalized and whose voices are ignored.
Being in these groups gives minorities and marginalized
groups agency. Not only that, but history transforms from the standard linear
sender-message-receiver into an interactive setting where participants have the
capacity to reframe, add to, adjust, and contribute to this record. From that,
individuals gain a sense of attachment to this community, developing their own
communal and personal identities in a way that fosters belonging through
recognition
Other social media websites, such as Grindr, have been used
and are being used to rewrite stereotypes from the past that were unrightfully
given. However, while some websites may be helping, not all are progressive
towards building a positive identity for the LGBTQ identity.
“The stigma of promiscuity in gay male culture has roots in
the respectability politics of internal responses to AIDS, as well as
homophobic responses from outside the community, and continues to haunt
discourses of gay male sexuality”[4].
During the AIDS epidemic, the gay community received a large part of the blame
because of their “promiscuous” and “hypersexual” practices. Bathhouses, random
hook ups, public sexual acts, etc. were all acts that contributed to this
epidemic and were all acts that were primarily committed by the queer
community, or at least, that’s how the public made it seem since it was a
highly heteronormative society. The reputation of promiscuity has led the gay
community to aim towards an image of “appearing just like them (heterosexuals)
through sexual moderation, monogamy and the disavowal of deviant sexual
subcultures”4. With apps such as Grindr, this makes it very
difficult for the LGBT community to release themselves from this stigma.
Although the LGBT community has scaled their way towards
acceptance, “this acceptance is conditioned on creating a public image of group
maturation where being gay is no longer associated with a sexual culture”4.
However, some may argue that doing so is just assimilating to the
heteronormative framework that this community is working against. Websites such
as Grindr have proven how the perceptions of those that do/do not use this app
are affecting/reaffirming the stereotypical identities of the LGBT community. The
past haunts many of us. We must understand the LGBTQ community’s social and
historical contexts in order to understand how we think of it now.
Activism
Individuals hold a lot of power through technology. It is a
platform by which change can and has occurred. Users have taken advantage of
the public accessibility in order to advocate for social and political change.
In society, there has been a normalization of using certain
language as an insult. This language contains words that are also used to
describe the gay community. Words such as “gay” and “faggot” are commonly used
to insult an individual. Saying it in this context implies that being gay is something
that is bad. “Gamer lingo” is what is mostly heard when playing games online.
This lingo is the normalization of offensive words. Some argue that it is just
“game talk” and does not mean anything, but studies have shown that there is a
high number of homophobic players3. Gamer lingo only adds to and
makes it harder to come out of this heteronormative structure that we are
currently in. Many comments in the game forums or those spoken over the game
are intolerant of the LGBTQ community. However, the LGBTQ community has taken
to social media and microblogging to educate society on political correctness.
Other forms of activism have been enacted through
microblogging and social media. In countries where censorship is extremely
strict, microblogging and social media has given individuals an outlet by which
they can get others to view their material before it is banned. This is
essential since, in places like China, if a person wishes to post something
LGBTQ related, it will most likely not get approved. Doing so through social
media gives individuals a window to read or watch content before it is taken
down.
In China, filmmakers have taken advantage of microblogging
and social media websites to showcase their work, spread awareness, and
validate their community. Through these Internet practices, the LGBTQ
community, known as tongzhi in China,
is able to access and promote works that validate their community. Although
much is still censored, by posting their work through these sites, it is much
more difficult to censor, easily accessible to Chinese and international
audiences, and available to more than just the tongzhi community. Thus, in a country where their offline
identities are shunned, the tongzhi
community has found a way to ensure that they are not silenced online.
In this new age where homosexuality is no longer blindly
accepted as a perversion, the tongzhi
community is finding avenues to express themselves, their identities, and to
support and advocate for equal rights. As of right now, artists of the tongzhi community are not focused on
finding fame and money. Rather, they are focused on establishing identity
within a country that is trying to drown out their voices. Much of the work,
thus, is publicly accessible and copyright issues are not so much a problem.
“Allowing such work to be publicly accessible may serve as an indicator that
such directors consider their role as tonghzi
rights activists to be more important than their role as artists”6.
For these filmmakers, their primary goal and motivation is to increase
visibility of tongzhi lives and
issues within Chinese society. In doing so [sharing and distributing queer
documentaries], they are not specifically distributing documentaries in a
physical sense, but rather are distributing their reputation, thereby affirming
their existence and drawing attention to their position in the greater online
and offline discourse”[5].
Digital identity within the LGBTQ community is not something
that individuals come by easily. This community has been marginalized for years
and is still being discriminated against. However, as times change and
technology improves, there have been an array of opportunities to begin to grow
their identity and to affirm their validity as a people. Whether it is through
social media, microblogging, videos, finding groups that make one feel
accepted, or activism, the LGBTQ community is ensuring that their voices are
not ignored and that they are seen. “The centrality of a shared history—whether
that is a history of oppression, marginalization, social distinctiveness,
inequalities or political gains over time—is central to the framework through
which belonging to a minority community operates at the intersection between relationality
and identity”[6].
See Also
Digital Identity
LGBTQ
Heteronormativity
Bisexual Erasure
Microblogging
Digital Footprint
Lifestreaming
Gay Rights Movement
[1]
Vella, Anthony Joseph. "A Digital Identity: creating uniqueness in a new
contextual domain." E-Learning and Digital Media Vol. 10,
No. 3, 2013, pp. 285-293.
[2]
Wargo, Jon M. “Every selfie tells a story: LGBTQ youth lifestreams and new
media narratives as connective identity texts.” New Media & Society, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2015, pp. 560-577.
[3]
Pulos, Alexis. “Confronting Heteronormativity in Online Games: A Critical
Discourse Analysis of LGBTQ Sexuality in World
of Warcraft.” Games and Culture,
Vol. 8, No. 2, 2013, pp. 77-97.
[4]
Ahlm, Jody. “Respectable promiscuity: Digital cruising in an era of queer
liberalism.” Sexualities, Vol. 20,
No. 3, 2016, pp. 364-379.
[5]
Shaw, Gareth and Xiaoling Zhang. “Cyberspace and gay rights in a digital China:
Queer documentary filmmaking under state censorship.” China Information, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2017, pp. 270-292.
[6]
Cover, Rob. “Memorialising queer community: digital media, subjectivity and the
Lost Gay # archives of social networking.” Media
International Australia, Vol. 00, 2017, pp. 1-10.
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