ENC2135: Research, Genre & Context
Genre: Poster
Audience: Net Generation ages 13-25
Rationale: My genre of choice, for this particular audience, was a poster. My audience is the “Net Generation”, individuals between the ages of 13 to 25 years old. This type of user was born into the Information Age and most are technology savvy and have a Facebook account. I believe that illustrating the concept of Facebook envy would have the most impact on this audience. Since the “Net Generation” has been raised in the technology world most are quite familiar with Facebook. The best approach in communicating this message is through Facebook itself. By creating a Facebook post, which includes a “status”, picture, and “friends” comments, I feel that my audience can easily identify with the genre and will be interested in its message. My audience, I am sure, can relate to the text, image, and comments presented. Facebook envy begins with a picture but also with a “status” that is posted with that picture. Words are carefully chosen to attract “friends” but those words are also chosen to elicit emotion. The status I selected for this example, “My life is so much better than yours” along with a picture of the Colosseum elicits feelings similar to “This is what I have done today, can you top that?”. I also wanted to illustrate Facebook envy through “friends” comments. I have used comments that are common envious or jealous responses. My intentions are to increase awareness and help the “Net Generation” identify these types of posts that create envious and jealous feelings.
Genre: Magazine Cover
Audience: High School students ages 15-18
Rationale: My genre of choice, for this particular audience, was a magazine cover. My audience is high school students’ ages 15 to 18 years old. Since high school students are in the last stage of secondary education their assignments are preparing them for college. Often times writing assignments require research. Students use magazine articles as a resource. I thought that this would be fitting to illustrate the harmful effects Facebook has on their age group. To depict this, I chose the color blue for the magazine title because it has a calming effect. Another important piece to this message is the article title. Using a play on words, to grab my audience’s attention, I entitled the article, “Is Facebook Giving You the Blues?”. By using the word “blue” I am making a direct reference to the color of the Facebook logo and relating it to sadness. Pictured on the magazine cover is a woman with a solemn disposition. Her disposition is important to relate the “blues” and harmful emotional effects of Facebook. Four thought bubbles are placed around the pictured woman. The emotions expressed within the thought bubbles are common teenage feelings. Three of the four emotions can be felt in normal interactions with others but all four emotions are intensified through Facebook because of the exposure to so many people. This genre is effective in communicating to teenagers that Facebook can make a person feel sadness. This genre identifies four specific feelings that can lead to harmful emotional effects. My intent is that this genre will help prevent emotional problems in teenagers caused by Facebook usage.
Genre: Poem
Audience: College students ages 18-25
Rationale: My genre of choice, for this particular audience, was a poem. My audience is college students ages 18-25. I selected this type of audience because college students continue to develop writing skills through required English courses. Some courses require a student to write from a perspective of creativity, exploring their own thoughts and beliefs, or through research. I believe that this genre is best suited for a person with a mature thought process and writing style. I wanted to replicate a page in a college textbook so I included the poem, chapter name, page number, discussion questions (to interact the reader), and a picture. The poem represents the harmful effects of Facebook (low self-esteem, jealousy, and envy). It describes a Facebook user’s journey from a place of happiness to sadness, lack of self-worth, and jealousy, to self realization. Facebook was designed to bring people together and be a positive happy forum. But, as we are discovering, it is not always that. I believe that this is also a moral issue. Facebook users cause these harmful and negative feelings by what they post, the words they use in their posts, and how often they post. Moral and thoughtful people consider other peoples’ feelings. Then, there are those that only think of themselves or are narcissistic. My hope is that this genre will inspire my audience to consider other “friends” feelings when posting on Facebook. Revisit previous posts and take a look at those messages. Could those messages be misinterpreted? I believe that the discussion questions are introspective and will encourage my audience to rethink the Facebook forum and look within to make better choices when posting on Facebook in the future.