After reading Eyman’s Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), I realized that digital rhetoric is deeply connected to other fields that help us understand how we engage with digital technologies. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Critical Code Studies (CCS) are two fields. Though they come from different disciplinary backgrounds, both support the goals of digital rhetoric by offering insights into how technology shapes communication and user experience.
HCI is rooted in computer science but draws from psychology and sociology. It focuses on how users interact with technology, designing interfaces and systems that are efficient, usable, and user-centered. While HCI is often more technical, it shares key values with digital rhetoric, like empowering users and prioritizing their needs. Both recognize the interface as more than just a screen—a space where meaning is made and access is shaped.
In contrast, Critical Code Studies looks beneath the interface to examine the code itself. Founded by Mark Marino, CCS treats code as a functional tool and cultural text. It argues that code contains values and assumptions and can be analyzed like literature or rhetoric. Identity, power, and social context questions emerge in how code is written, structured, and interpreted. Issues of identity, power, and social context emerge in how code is written, structured, and interpreted.
HCI and CCS highlight how digital rhetoric operates at multiple levels, from user interfaces to lines of code. These intersections help us better understand the digital systems we use daily and remind us that technology is never neutral; it always communicates something.
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