We end where we started. Eyman. Here to introduce the ideas of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). It seems HCI and digital rhetoric go hand and hand as they both focus on the interface and its importance.
We previously discussed how rhetoric is used to influence/persuade the audience. Eyman intertextually references its relation to HCI and digital rhetoric. To my understanding, HCI is an umbrella of different entities while digital rhetoric focuses on studying those entities. Thats how it makes sense to me anyway. HCI focuses more on the computers system rather than how it influences as that is more under digital rhetoric. Although, like digital rhetoric, HCI still relates to how we use computer systems to achieve our goal.
HCI and Code Studies
It’s interesting to see that someone wondered how these systems or softwares affects us and society and just started studying it. In another blog post, code was mentioned as the format, system or software code uses is built with racial bias. And now Eyman mentions Critical Code Studies (CSS) which is meant to examine a big chunk of techniques within code to understand its affect on HCI.
All of this is like one big puzzle. Were just trying to put the piecies together so it makes sense. Its cool to see how people of different expertise can come together to bring that puzzle together. Bringing together computer scientists and humanities scholars to study CSS by using digital rhetoric is such a nice full circle moment. Figure out the whole cultural story of HCI and CSS is so important to understand. This is how scoiety will continue to develop.
Eyman hasn’t been one of my favorites to read throughout this semester. But it is bittersweet to see an end to this chapter. And although tedious, these blog posts have helped give me a better understanding of digital platforms, rhetoric, and an overall new mindset on not just digital settings but the world around me. The SEO was annoying but we managed to not only work our way around it but actually use it to benefit us. If I ever hear “Eyman” again I won’t think of his long winded, confusing chapter but will actually fondly remember these posts.
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