Blog #2 Digital Divide and Hardware store metaphore

1) What exactly is the Digital Divide?

According to Andy Carvin, “In the most basic sense, the digital divide is the ever-growing gap between those people and communities who have access to information technology and those who do not " (Carvin, 2000, p. 1). More specifically, the economic gap is between the people who have access to the internet, and technology that facilitates that access, and those who don’t have access. Whether it is because of socioeconomic status or race, it is only these people that are being represented and contributing to the information available on the internet. Whether accurate or not, this allow for the projection of these people’s views, regarding people without internet, to be littered throughout the web (Carvin, 2000, p. 2). This misrepresentation can be culturally and morally devastating for the effected people. Access to the internet and technology is not the underlying problem that has created the digital divide. Mark Warschauer writes, technology access is facilitated by a "complex array of factors encompassing physical, digital, human, and social resources"(Warschauser, 2002, p. 5). These underline the ability for a person to acquire the technology to access the internet, the ability of the internet to meet the demands of all users regardless of language, the degree of education an individual has had , and the types of meaningful social interactions that they can have online with their peers (Warschauser 2002, p. 11).





2)  Essentially, the Macintosh metaphor attempted to illustrate " the privileged position of standard English as the language of choice or default, and, in this way, contribute to the tendency to ignore, or even erase, the cultures of non-English Language speakers..."(Selfe & Selfe 1994, p. 488).Within the lines of the Macintosh metaphor, I think that a hardware store is also relevant. The layout of the store is very linear and neat. All the inventory within the store is grouped within its specific use. This makes for easy access for the mechanic or carpenter. Screws, or other hardware, is grouped together by length and placed into long rows. All the hardware is measured in and labeled in the standard system. Someone, a person who does not regularly work with his or her hands, who is foreign to this system will be hard pressed to find a metric screw that is needed. While the rest of the world uses one standard system of measurement, the United States insists on creating its own measuring scale. Whether the outdated ideals of American superiority toward other cultures and the way they think, or the drive for a different system, America has not adopted the world standard. This metaphor may work better because it illustrates America's resistance to change, especially toward not just one race or group, but the rest of the intellectual world.





References

Carvin, A. (2000). Mind the gap: The digital divide as the civil rights issue of the new millennium.
Retrieved August 31, 2010 from http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/Jan00/carvin.htm

Warschauer, M. (2002). Reconceptualizing the digital divide. Retrieved August 31, 2010 from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/967/888

Selfe, C, & Selfe, R. (1994). The Politics of the interface: power and its exercise in electronic.. Electronic Contact Zones College Composition and Communication, 45(4), Retrieved from http://www.paulmuhlhauser.org/475/Readings/interface.pdf

Blog #2 Myspace Bands and Rhetoric

1. 
   
   I have noticed there is a digital culture that exists between bands on MySpace and their never ending search for new fans. The way a comment is posted, by the band, is an art form that is used to appeal to the reader. The neon colors are used to draw the viewer in and catchy slogans are used to appeal to the human soul. My favorite slogan is “all of your friends are going”. Not only does this make the reader feel obligated to attend the show, but they may also feel a social disconnect between their peers if they do not go. There have been countless times that I have posted the larges band flyer I could into a message box. Personally, I believe that this is rhetorical because the band members are using defined symbols and understood communication to influence the viewer to come see their band play.

Work Cited
Picture retrieved from http://www.boulderbeer.com/

Blog #1 Contemporay Perspectives on Rhetoric

1) According to Foss et. al, rhetoric is defined as a series of terms involving the words, human, communication, and symbols. Each of these terms is intertwined to create a generalized meaning for the word. Being human, we use symbols to generate feelings within others that allow them to better understand us. Foss et. al. goes on to say that every aspect of the human life is a collage of chosen and recognizable symbols that conjure up different feelings and memories within the person (Foss et. al, 1990, p. 2). These symbols allow us to further relate to each other as individuals and as a culture. This relation is the basis of communication. Foss et. al states, “Rhetoric often involves the deliberate and conscious choice of symbols to communicate with others, but actions to which rhetos do not consciously attend also can be interpreted” (Foss et. al, 1990, p. 2). The understanding of the communication is very subjective and based on feelings and experiences associated with the listener.




2) After reading this, I believe that rhetoric is an art form that, when used effectively, can be used to influence people toward the views of other people. This can efficiently be done to incorporating different symbols that appeal to the deepest and most primal part of the human soul, in order to facilitate change within the listener.





Work Cited

Foss, k, Foss, S, & Trapp, R. (1990). Contemporary perspectives on rhetoric [Third Edition]. Retrieved from http://www.paulmuhlhauser.org/475/Readings/FossFossTrapp1.pdf