Writing in Digital Environments was not a typical
class with lectures, quizzes, and exams. Rather, it centered primarily on the
discussion of topics covered in the class readings as well as a rhetorical
analysis of a digital writing environment and the contribution to the class
webpage. It was through the readings and discussions that I had my most
significant learning experiences in the course.
One of these learning experiences was the concept of
learning to do more with less in terms of creating digital writing
environments. Often times, website publishers feel like the more content they
can put on their webpage, the more opportunities they have to engage with
and/or sell to users. However, too much content can be very overwhelming for
users (take The Cheesecake Factory’s menu for example). In order for a digital
writing environment to make the greatest impact on its users, the users need to
come into contact with the most engaging content. When a digital writing
environment has an overwhelming amount of content, the most engaging components
can become lost in the crowd. Not only is the “more with less” method beneficial
to users, but it is also beneficial to those who maintain the site. Less
content means less to manage and up-keep, and more attention can be devoted to
the most important content. The concept of “more with less” aided us in our
group webpage project as it helped us to plan what content to include and
exclude.
Another significant learning experience I had in the
course had to do with the concept of spreadability. Whenever I used to see
content online start to become popular and begin to spread through multiple
mediums, I never really thought much of it. However, after reading Henry Jenkin’s
book Spreadable Media and discussing
the concept of spreadability in class, I learned that there are many details
that can cause content to spread. One cause of spreadability Jenkins lists in
his book is relevance to multiple audiences. If content is only applicable to a
niche audience, it will only spread within that group. However, if content can
apply to multiple audiences, it will surely be able to spread much further. Content
also becomes spreadable when it is easily reusable in a variety of ways. When
users are able to rehash content to apply to different audiences and contexts,
that content is more likely to spread. Audiences also tend to spread material
when it is part of a steady stream of content. As multiple instances of the
content is created, it almost becomes its own genre. When audiences see a new
addition has been made, they are more likely to share it.
Overall I enjoyed my experience in this course. It
allowed me to adapt a different perspective when viewing digital environments,
and helped me learn to think more rhetorically. I no longer take digital content
at face value. Rather, I view it more analytically to try to understand how and
why certain decisions were made in the creation of various digital writing environments.
