Project Tour

We talked a lot about identity during the second unit; the relevance and importance of having an online presence and how that takes shape. I found this section to be one of the most fascinating, and, therefore, it's not too surprising that the rhetorical situation I found for my project fit within that realm. You may recall from some of my blog posts, that finding a topic for this project was a bit of a struggle for me. I had some ideas about what media I might want to use, but I didn't have an exigence to propel my ideas forward. So in an effort to brainstorm, I went back through the previous units. With a little inspiration from some classmates, I decided to make identity the focus of my project.

I wanted to help my sister establish and develop an online identity through the means of a blog. I chose this particular medium because it would suit her semi-scatterbrained personality. She wouldn't be forced to categorize, label, or box the different areas of her life, but could allow it all to flow together naturally in a way that others could share in. The rhetorical situation here is not so much the presence of a problem so much as an absence of..well, her. Bitzer said that, “In short, rhetoric is a mode of altering reality... by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action” (4). Through the blog, she will be capable of changing reality through sculpting another side of her identity.

To examine the rhetorical situation further, we will take a look at content, audience, purpose and context. “Because communication is what binds us together and helps build...our communities, you are responsible for finding communicative purposes that respond to what is needed around you, that contribute usefully to the networks in which we all live” (Wysocki, 35).I already stated that the purpose of the project was to give my sister an opportunity to expand her online identity, and in doing so she would be helping build upon, or contributing to, an already existing community. The blog is a way for her to share her daily thoughts and activities with others, get feedback, connect with others of similar interests, and perhaps learn more about herself in the process.

As for content, I spent a lot of time on the visual format of the blog. This is the first thing that the audience will take in. The audience, in this case, would be anyone who follows the blog, allowing for a context that is undefined in breadth and nature because it is an ongoing discourse that each audience member comes across under varying circumstances. However, regardless of the individual circumstances, it was still important that the blog was visually inviting and that it be reflective of my sister. The color scheme I chose was one she was particularly fond of and it was rather warm and tranquil. Then there was the title – another prominent feature. The alliteration of “Everyday Effervescence” may have been a bit of a personal preference on my part, but my sister was on board with it. 'Effervescence' means “vivacity and enthusiasm” (Oxford Online Dictionary). It's to help reflect the way in which my sister finds joy in the little, everyday things, in simplicity and creativity.

The whole process, from brainstorming to my design plan to production, was full of unexpected changes and shifts. When I began this assignment, I certainly didn't expect it to end up where it has. However, the experience in manufacturing a digital media artifact and what that requires, all under a topic I was interested in exploring (identity), made this a personally beneficial and – I may say – enjoyable endeavor.