Throughout connections of my readings, I have examined what digital rhetoric is and what constitutes as such. I have learned much about the importance of digital rhetoric and its influence on our society and culture through the readings of Eyman, Applen, Brock, and others. Once a confusing topic to understand has now been brought to light through understanding definitions, concepts, and writings. Now understanding that digital rhetoric has a grand effect within society, we look into the final section of Eyman’s Writing. Within the final section of “Defining and Locating Digital Rhetoric” Eyman offers information connecting Digital rhetoric to other fields. These fields of study would include Human-computer Interaction as well as Critical code studies and Internet studies.
HCI and Digital Rhetoric
Within Human-computer Interaction or HCI, the field of Digital Rhetoric can be connected to it due to interface. Interface according to Eyman, in digital rhetoric is both object and location where the virtual and the materials come together. Within the field of HCI, it is a key task to develop and program interfaces. These interfaces program important things such as software, hardware, users, and networks. This demonstrates that in HCI, the programming reflects digital rhetoric as it influences the tools and actions behind it.
Within my previous blog Rhetoric Procedural and Digital in New Media, I explored how procedural rhetoric behind programming new Media can in turn influence digital rhetoric on its users. Thus, HCI’s tools and systems of rhetoric is what digital rhetoric is built on and studied. HCI’s computer engineering also shares a focus with digital rhetoric on how people interact with it. If it’s tools are persuasive and usable, both HCI and digital rhetoric have succeeded in how they affect their users. Thus, it becomes clear that the field of digital rhetoric is incredibly connected with the field of Human-computer Interaction.
Critical Code and Digital Rhetoric
The next field of Study that connects to digital rhetoric would be Critical Code studies. The reasoning is that critical code studies rely on rhetorical methods of analysis. In the case of platform studies, for instance, explores the relationship between hardware and software designs of computing systems. This highlights the creative works produced by these systems which connect to digital rhetoric due to its usability. Digital rhetoric should have tools that are able to be used and such tools are persuasive to the user. CCS also highlights code as text with its own sign system and rhetoric.
For instance, when coding there are two forms such as high-level coding and low-level coding. In high-level coding, it is rhetoric that is understandable by humans. In low-level coding, it is rhetoric only understood by computers. This ties into digital rhetoric as it exemplifies how communication between computers and users is an important task.
Internet Studies and Digital Rhetoric
Finally, the last field with connections to digital rhetoric is Internet studies. Internet studies and digital rhetoric studies are closely related due to the social networking theories. Although there are not many journals discussing the connections between these fields it is important to acknowledge that there are methods and methodologies that can connect them. In my opinion I believe things such as understanding social media is a bridge between internet studies and digital rhetoric. This is because social media is inherently persuasive to the user to keep its attention on the app. This app would not have been able to exist without the internet. Thus, the procedural rhetoric of the internet can influence the digital rhetoric of social media.
Conclusion
Although Eyman mentioned these three fields of study as examples of connections to the field of digital rhetoric, he made it clear there are very well other examples that can connect. These can be things such as studies of New Media, studies of Media in general, studies of communication, and so on. Overall, digital rhetoric is an important field to learn and understand as it has many connections to other fields of study.
Leave a Reply