Wp 2: Rough Draft 1

The above comic comes from the comic strip “Geek And Poke,” and outlines and pokes fun at our extreme dependence on social networks, particularly Twitter. The comic, entitled, “The Genesis Of A Tweet,” features a man sitting at his computer deciding what he is going to “tweet” next. Through classic comic style humor, the comic is able to ironically comment on our dependence on social networking and makes an argument that social networking has become so central to daily life; it is now superior to other more critically important things. To understand this comic and the argument it attempts to make it is critical to understand the significance of social networking in popular culture, the context in which it was created, as well as the comic’s aesthetic components.

One of the most important elements to comprehending this comic and its arguments is gaining an understanding of the growing significance of social networking to today’s popular culture. The comic focuses particularly on the web site Twitter. Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging side that enables its users to send messages in 140 characters or less. These messages have become known as “tweets,” and the act of sending tweets, is called “tweeting.” These tweets are sent out to the author’s subscribers who are known as “followers.” Twitter users are also able to send out pictures using an application called “Twitpic,” and send out short videos by creating what is called a “bubble tweet.” Since its creation in 2006, Twitter has become one of the 50 most popular websites worldwide and is now ranked the third most used social network. Although the exact number of active accounts is not known, Twitter receives over 55 million visitors monthly, (Twitter, Wikipedia).

Part of the reason Twitter has become so much a part of our popular culture is the fact that many of the most famous celebrities have created Twitter accounts and started tweeting. Celebrities including 50 Cent, Barbara Walters, Adam Lambert, Paris Hilton, Elizabeth Taylor, Ryan Seacrest, Shaq, Jay-Z, Robin Williams, Britney Spears, Martha Stewart, and even Oprah have joined the Twitter craze. There are also many politicians who haven taken up Twittering. John McCain, Joe Biden, Al Gore, and John Edwards have all created accounts and send out regular tweets. By creating a Twitter account celebrities become extremely assessable to fans. Fans receive messages from their favorite celebrities and are even able to send them messages back. This feeling that celebrities are in the reach of every day people has only perpetuated the importance of not only Twitter, but other social networks as well. Aside from being made popular by celebrities, Twitter has gained notoriety by aiding in political campaigns and legal proceedings, being used as an education tool, becoming an effective survey and opinion-gathering tool, as well as very prevalent use in protest. During the Iranian presidential elections, protesters used Twitter as a tool to rally support as well as a method of communication with the outside world after the government blocked several other methods of communication, (Twitter, Wikipedia).

It is hard to go a day without hearing a Twitter reference. News programs, TV shows, and radio programs are consistently making reference to something that someone has tweeted. And the lingo has become common knowledge. There are very few people who don’t know what a “tweet” is, what a "follower" is, and what is meant when someone says that they are “twittering.” It is this integration into popular culture and the obsession with tweeting the right thing that brought about the comic I have chosen. If Twitter were not such a huge part of our culture and every day reality, the comic would not have been created.

But the purpose of the comic and the argument the comic is attempting to convey does not end with the integration of social networks like Twitter into popular culture. It goes much deeper. The comic makes an effort to show that not only has Twitter become integrated into our daily lives, it has become more critically important than things of real significance. Take for instance the man featured in the comic. While a cartoon drawing, he is a representation of millions of people sitting down to send out a tweet. We see the man simply sitting at his computer thinking of what he is going to tweet next. He believes that if he doesn’t come up with something “cool” to tweet soon he will lose followers, something he obviously doesn’t want. He finally tweets, “Sitting at the computer, thinking about my next tweet.” There is an irony and vicious circle associated with this tweet. The man in the comic wants desperately to tweet something cool, so he sits at his computer thinking about what to tweet. However, if he were out in the world doing things and experiencing things, he might have something legitimately “cool” to tweet about. But Twitter has become more centrally important to him than doing other things and being out in the world, so he sits at his computer and tweets about what he is going to tweet.

The aesthetics of the comic also enhance this argument. The comic features three panels, all of which feature the exact same drawing of the man sitting at his computer. The only differences in each panel are the words in the thought bubble above his head. The background of each panel is a blank, barren, and also unchanging white. It is this bleak setting that our tweeter is attempting to find inspiration, and judging by what he finally decides to tweet, we can see that he was really not inspired at all. These monotonous panels and blank background are not nearly as fascinating as what lies in the outside world, which is full of color, movement, and other people. Alone at his computer, our tweeter has become so preoccupied with Twitter and finds it so much more important than activities in the outside world that he is comfortable isolating himself in such bleak, desolate surroundings as long as he can tweet.

Twitter has recently become a critically important part of our popular culture and daily lives. It is hard to go a day without hearing someone talk about what they tweeted or an experience that they are going to tweet about. But tweeting has now become so imperative to some that they are willing to give up important life experiences in order to do it. We have become so obsessed with social networking that following them have become more significant than going out into the world and having new experiences. It is now more important to sit alone at your computer thinking about what you are going to tweet than having meaningful experiences. This Geek and Poke comic, “Genesis of a Tweet,” illustrates that point exactly and addresses the issue with clever irony and humor.

Works Cited

"Microbloggin." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microblogging.

"Panel (comics)." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panel_(comics).

"Popular Culture." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_culture.

"Twitter." Wikipedia. N.p., 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter.

"What Is Social Networking?" Social Networking. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov.2009 http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/.

Widder, Oliver. Geek and Poke. N.p., 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2009 http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/.

Blog Post #15: Statement Of Purpose

The comic I have chosen called “The Genesis Of A Tweet,” has many possible contexts, possible interpretations, and possible purposes. To produce an effective analysis of the comic, there are many factors including purpose, audience, and context that must be taken into consideration.

My personal purpose for choosing this comic is my fascination with today’s popular culture and our obsession with social networking. I am interested in why the American society has become so obsessed with being connected and gaining as many contacts as possible. There seems to be a prestige gained by having dozens of friends, or in this case, followers. Your social status is no longer just determined by your job, how big your house is, or what kind of car you drive, but is also affected by how many people are in your virtual social circle. By analyzing this photo I am hoping to show that not only is this phenomenon happening, but also show that it has reached a comical level of ridiculousness. While this purpose is particular to my specific interests and fascinations with society and social networking, I feel that it is a purpose that others could share in and relate to. There are millions of Twitter and other social network users and millions more who find the whole idea of social networking ridiculous. I feel that both groups could relate to my analysis and find some way to relate to it.

An essential element to consider when writing about the comic I have chosen is the audience that will be viewing my analysis. My primary audience consists of my teacher and my classmates. They are the people who will be reading, reviewing, and helping me revise my analysis. Aside from the fact that they are going to be required to read my writing, I hope to provide them with insights and information about the comic, the context in which it was created, as well as a piece of writing that they can learn from, and help me learn from as well. But along with my classmates, I have a very prominent secondary audience as well. Since this photo analysis will be posted on the Internet, my secondary audience could potentially be quite large and quite diverse, with different backgrounds, experiences, and opinions. I recognize that this secondary audience will probably not be seeking out my blog, so when they find it, I hope to be able to interest them with the information found in my analysis.

Another very important element to bear in mind while composing my analysis is the context from which my audiences will be viewing my writing. While it is virtually impossible for me to determine or consider all of the possible perspectives that my audience will have, I can certainly imagine a few and cater to those particular demographics. Obviously, my teacher and classmates will be of primary concern, and will most likely be my focus as they will be the ones guaranteed to read my analysis. They will be reading from an academic standpoint so I will need to write with a certain amount of sophistication. They will also most likely be forced to read my work, so I will need to add a certain sense of urgency and importance in order to keep their attention and help them understand my writing. This point is also true for my secondary audience as well. Most of the random blog seekers will probably stumble upon my post by accident, and I will need to capture their interest so they want to read what I write, and write with enough gusto that they want to finish reading my analysis. I am not particularly interested in whether or not either of these audiences agrees with what I have to say, I just need to understand the contexts in which my audiences will be reading what I write, so that I can effectively cater to my demographic and accomplish my purpose in writing about the comic.

Blog Post #14: Cultural Context of Comic

A factor key to understanding the comic I have chosen is the knowledge of social networks and how important and engrained they have become in popular culture. The comic references Twitter, and without at least a basic understanding of what Twitter is the comic loses all of its humor.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging side that enables its users to send messages in 140 characters or less. These messages have become known as “tweets,” and the act of sending tweets, is called “tweeting.” These tweets are sent out to the author’s subscribers who are known as “followers.” Twitter users are also able to send out pictures using Twitpic and send out short videos by creating what is called a “bubble tweet.” Since its creation in 2006, Twitter has become one of the 50 most popular websites worldwide and is now ranked the third most used social network. Although the exact number of active accounts is not known, Twitter receives over 55 million visitors monthly, (Twitter, Wikipedia).

Part of the reason Twitter has become so much a part of our popular culture is the fact that many of the most famous celebrities have created Twitter accounts and started tweeting. Celebrities including 50 Cent, Barbara Walters, Adam Lambert, Paris Hilton, Elizabeth Taylor, Ryan Seacrest, Shaq, Jay-Z, Robin Williams, Britney Spears, Martha Stewart, and even Oprah have joined the Twitter craze. There are also many politicians who haven taken up Twittering. John McCain, Joe Biden, Al Gore, and John Edwards have all created accounts and send out regular tweets. By creating a Twitter account celebrities become extremely assessable to fans. Fans receive messages from their favorite celebrities and are even able to send them messages back.

Aside from being made popular by celebrities, Twitter has gained notoriety by aiding in political campaigns and legal proceedings, being used as an education tool, becoming an effective survey and opinion-gathering tool, as well as very prevalent use in protest. During the Iranian presidential elections, protesters used Twitter as a tool to rally support as well as a method of communication with the outside world after the government blocked several other methods of communication, (Twitter, Wikipedia).

It is hard to go a day without hearing a Twitter reference. News programs, TV shows, and radio programs are consistently making reference to something that someone has tweeted. And the lingo has become common knowledge. There are very few people who don’t know what a “tweet” is or and what is meant when someone says that they are “twittering.” It is this integration into popular culture and the obsession with tweeting the right thing that brought about the comic I have chosen. If Twitter not such a huge part of our culture, the comic would not have been created.

Without understanding the cultural context of the comic, it wouldn’t make sense. It is because Twitter is such a huge part of daily life that the comic is funny and relevant. Through the comic medium, the author was able to effectively poke fun at our own ridiculous fascination with the trendy and popular. Were it not in comic form, it may not be perceived as funny, and could quite possibly be seen as offensive. But by creating the comic, the author was able to efficiently portray what happens for many people on a daily basis and turn it into something comical and funny without insulting the millions of Twitter users.

Works Cited

"Twitter." Wikipedia. N.p., 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

Blog Post #13: Comic Analysis

In today’s world, being connected seems to be becoming more and more important. It seems that every day there is a new way to get in touch with friends and let them know what you are thinking, where you’re going, and even what you had for breakfast. With the invention of social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, it is now possible to connect with old friends, new friends, and unknown people all over the world and let them know, in the world of Facebook, “what’s on your mind,” in 140 characters or less. These social networks have become such an integral part of our popular culture, it is now comical how much thought importance we put on having “friends” or “followers,” and how frequently we use and rely on them as a form of communication.

This particular comic from the comic strip “Geek And Poke,” outlines and pokes fun at our extreme dependence on social networks, particularly Twitter. The comic entitled, “The Genesis Of A Tweet,” features a man sitting at his computer deciding what he is going to “tweet” next. He is worried that since he hasn’t tweeted since the previous day he will begin to lose followers, and believes that he needs to find something cool to say to compensate for his lack of postings. In the final panel we see that he has posted, “sitting at the computer, thinking about my next tweet.” It seems that even a tweet about his inability to think of something to tweet is preferable to tweeting nothing at all.

There are several elements that make this comic effective. The man at the computer is very easy for the average person to relate to, and every one of the 6 million Twitter users can see themselves sitting at a computer thinking about what they are going to Tweet next. The setting is established and the character introduced in three panels. The first panel introduces us to the character and we learn thought his thoughts and the thought bubble above his head that he is a Twitter user and hasn’t tweeted anything since the day before. In the second panel, his next thought is conveyed. He is worried that because of his lack of tweets he will lose followers and he thinks that he needs to come up with something cool to say. The third and final panel is the resulting tweet, stating that he is sitting at his computer thinking about what to tweet. The relationship between the panels is formed through the readers’ knowledge that each panel is a depicting a different thought about what to tweet and then the resulting tweet.

Although the comic is hand drawn, the stylistic choices made still allow the reader to examine the topography of the composition. Both of the first two thought bubbles have the same font and size, but the third thought is the tweet that he has posted, and it is formatted in what is traditionally known as the default computer font so that we know it is indeed what he has posted and not just another thought. This topographical analysis adds greatly to our understanding of the message the comic is attempting to convey.

Writing Project 1

Author's Note:

In preparing to undertake this writing project, the first, and possibly most important thing to me was choosing an image that I would enjoy looking at every day, that I cared about, and that I understood. Once I found my image, I knew that I was going to be able to write an essay that not only fit the criteria for the assignment, but would also bring awareness to a situation that I feel incredibly passionate about.

When I began the writing process the one major obstacle that I faced was determining the argument that my photo was making. I knew about the social relevance and how important the cause surrounding the photo was to me, but actually deciding what the photo was trying to say and the point it was attempting to get across was a struggle for me to determine at first. And it wasn’t until I went back through my statement of purpose did I realize that the drive I had to tell people about this relatively unknown cause was a possible motivation for the photographer as well and therefore was possibly part of the argument the photo was making. As soon as I became conscious of that idea, the rest of the essay quickly fell into place.

For my first draft of the essay, I focused on getting my basic points across and making sure that I was able to accurately convey the argument the photo is making, which I feel that I was able to do. However, when it came time to read my reviews of the first draft, I was able to reread what I had written and decided that not only were there other, possibly more effective ways to state things, but there was a major point supporting the photo’s argument missing. It was suggested that I reevaluate and potentially add to my point about how the arrangement of the subjects in the photo and how they are developed rhetorically. From this suggestion I added in a point that I feel added quite a bit of weight to my argument. It was like the point that tied everything together and drove home the argument of the photo. Other major revisions that I made to the first draft were rearranging some of the information to create a better more logical flow, and reworking the introduction so that it was more effective at presenting the information.

For the second draft, I felt that I had a solid essay, and indeed my revision suggestions were much more concentrated on smaller more minute details. It was suggested that I tie how the notion of camaraderie is fostered in the photo. I felt that adding in this point would provide another effective example of how pathos helps develop the argument made by the photo. Also, for the final revision, I looked through the essay and reworked some of the wording that I used so that all of my points and arguments were all as clear and concise as possible.

The final draft of my essay is not only the culmination of our pre-writing exercises, various peer reviews, and my two previous drafts, but it is also the product of my desire to convey information about a topic that I feel very passionate about.

Rough Draft 2

Rough Draft 1

Statement Of Purpose

Final Draft:

The above photo was taken in early 2008 in Uganda. Uganda is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa bordered by Kenya, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Rwanda. (Wikipedia, Uganda) For the last 23 years Uganda has entrenched in a brutal civil war between the Government of Uganda, currently headed by President Yoweri Museveni, and The Lord’s Resistance Army.

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is a rebel guerrilla army formed in 1987 by Joseph Kony, who is a self-proclaimed “spokesperson” of God and a spirit medium. The LRA, recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, adheres to a blend of Christianity, Mysticism, witchcraft, and claims to be establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments. The LRA is accused of widespread human rights violations including abduction, murder, mutilation, and the sexual enslavement of women. Kony and the LRA are possibly most known for abducting children and forcing them to fight in his army. “It is estimated that over 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children” (Invisible Children). In an attempt to protect people from the LRA the Ugandan government forcibly evicted thousands from their homes and pushed them into overcrowded communities that have come to be known as displacement camps. Now, over a decade later, over a million people still live in displacement camps and along with the ever-present threat from the LRA “struggle to survive among the effects of abject poverty, rampant disease, and near-certain starvation” (Invisible Children). The displacement camps have offered few opportunities for cash income, almost no credit available, and very few of the people receive support from relatives living outside the camps. The main means of support for the camps is international humanitarian aid, which is never enough.

The knowledge about the conditions under which the people of Uganda must live their daily lives is something foreign and unfathomable to most American citizens. It is true that over “37 million Americans live below the official poverty line and millions more struggle to get by every month,” (AmericanProgress.org) but to be evicted from your home, herded and held in a community with no opportunity for income, and living in constant fear for your life is a way of life that few Americans, and other audiences of this photograph are able assimilate with or fully understand.

Upon first glace, this photo might simply appear to be a simple snapshot of young boys looking at their village in Africa. And indeed this is the case. However, this photo, and many others like it, force us to look beyond what we see in the first glance and begin to understand that the photo was taken purposefully to illustrate an argument about another, distinctly different, way of life, one in which contemporary American audiences may find to be incomprehensible. The photographer is using the photo as a catalyst that allows the audience to experience first hand the struggles of the people portrayed in the photo. The key elements in this photo work together to illustrate the significance of the historical and social context, describe the relevance of ethos, pathos, and logos as rhetorical appeals, as well as demonstrate the importance of vectors of attention and their relation to the argument made by the photo.

It is not only the knowledge of world events and historical contexts that lend themselves to help the audience understand the photo’s argument. The arrangement and vectors of attention play a large role in providing insight into the argument as well. According to Compose, Design, Advocate, vectors of attention are, “lines of direction that our eyes follow,” (CDA, 350). The vectors of attention found in the photograph are focused toward the displacement camp. The subjects are centered in the middle of the photograph, so they are certainly the first things that you notice when looking at the picture as they are the largest and take up the most space. But then, your attention turns to what they are looking at, or what their attention is directed on. It seems that the vectors of attention are such that your attention is drawn to the center of the photo, and then encourage you to work slowly outward. The way that the boys are standing also, with the tallest in the center and the shorter boys on each side, also directs your initial attention to the center of the photo. But there is something else to be explored about the arrangement. The boys are looking away from the camera and we cannot see their faces. This decision could be one made simply to encourage the audience to make the connection between the boys and the displacement camp below them, but it could also be something more; a rhetorical statement about the world that American citizens do not know about, and do not see. The boys see the devastation and horrors happening all around them, but the American audiences viewing the photo do not see them, cannot see them. The three boys represent the over 32 million residents of Uganda, (Wikipedia, Uganda) who remain faceless victims of violence and mere statistics to an unassuming United States population.

The arrangement of the subjects and vectors of attention are also an appeal to pathos and logos as well. There are many strong appeals to pathos in this photo, most of which are created by the vectors of attention and arrangement. By having the three boys centered in the photo and standing right next to each other, not only does it draw your attention to them right away, it eludes that they might be friends or brothers and evokes in the viewer a sense of compassion and empathy, as most of us can think of and relate to the loving feelings that we have for our own friends. With the boys so close together it fosters a notion of camaraderie. Many of us were on sports teams as children where we had to work together to win a game, and many more of us have jobs where we must work closely with our associates and develop a working relationship to accomplish various goals. In each of these cases, you had to rely on your teammates and associates for support because they seemed to be the only other people who understood your situation. Similarly, the boys in the photo depend on each other for support and understanding, as they are the only ones who understand the struggles each of them are facing. While all of the people living outside the borders of Uganda may not be able to understand what is happening there, each if its citizens comprehends the situation and have bonded together to survive.

There is also an appeal to pathos through the vectors of attention. While our initial attention is drawn to the center and the boys, it is where they are looking and what they are looking at that is really applicable to pathos. The displacement camp is where the attention of the photo is directed. Even though an audience member might not know what a displacement camp is, by looking at the photo, it is evident by the sheer number of homes, how close together all of the homes are, how small they are, and how they are all constructed of straw and earth, rather than timber an steel as most modern homes typically are that is a place that most people would not like to live. This would invoke in most people a sense of sympathy, as any person can understand how important shelter and home are.

It is this appeal to pathos that greatly shapes the photo’s argument. While the historical context is very important to understanding the relevance of the photo, and the vectors of attention and arrangement might lend support, it is the appeal to pathos that truly shapes the argument the photo is attempting to make. As mentioned before, there are very few people in the world who can directly relate to the struggles facing the pictured Ugandan boys. And that is precisely the argument that the photo is trying to make, that there exist other ways of life that contemporary American audiences my find unfathomable and incomprehensible. While the photo makes an argument that there are ways of life that a majority of United States citizens may be unable to identify with, it also attempts to illustrate to the audience the struggles of the young boys and allow them to begin to gain both empathy and sympathy for the boys and their way of life.

Works Cited

"History of the War." Invisible Children. Invisible Children, 2009. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. <http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/history>.

"The Lord's Resistance Army." Global Security. N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/lra.html>.

"The Poverty Epidemic In America." Center For American Progress. N.p., 24 Apr. 2007. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. <http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty_numbers.html>.

"Uganda." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2009.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda>.

Wysocki, Anne Frances, and Dennis A. Lynch. Compose, Design, Advocate: a rhetoric for integrating written, visual, and oral communication. New York: Person Longman, 2007. Page 350.