By “text,” I am referring to alphabetical language, but
Selfe seems to be using a different definition when she talks about “new media
texts” (49). She doesn’t really provide
a definition of text in this article, so I’m not sure quite how expansive she
intends the term to be. Perhaps she
doesn’t want to limit the term by providing a definition, since Selfe doesn’t
know what new forms will appear in the near future that will need to be
included under “text.” For my writing, I
would like to at least include those communication tools that involve sound,
animation, and interactivity under the heading “text.” If I can at least expand the term text that
far, then I can relate this article to a paper I wrote last semester on
webcomics, anime music videos (AMVs), and indie games.
Webcomics, AMVs, and indie games are relatively new creative
forms that are dependent on technology and the Internet. They interest me because, although they use
very different means of communication, they attract similar audiences and seem
to be fulfilling similar roles. Through
Selfe’s article, I can view these three creative forms as a new type of
literacy. Like David Damon, people who
create these forms may not be fluent in print literacy, but they are still
capable of communicating, expressing, and teaching through alternative
means. Furthermore, these methods of
communication are more relevant to many peoples’ lives than print literacy is.
As a composition instructor, I don’t quite know what to make
of this information. While a unit on
AMVs would be fun, our students are probably still too indoctrinated into print
culture to embrace such a project. Also,
I don’t think we could possibly teach them enough skills to make them effective
in communicating in a fraction of the new types of literacy that are emerging. However, I still like the idea of analyzing
new forms that have emerged through which people express themselves so that we
can continually expand our notion of text and composing.
I'm not sure, but I would be inclined to suggest that Cynthia Selfe's definition lines up with the one offered at the beginning of the compilation. Would the definition we've been working on add to, or complicate your work with webcomics, AMVs, etc.?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I wrote this blog post before we discussed the definition by Wysocki. If new media texts highlight their materiality, then I think indie games are still relevant because they clearly draw on their own interactive nature. Webcomics probably aren't: although there are differences, people tend to view them as the same as print comics. I'm not quite sure about AMVs. They come to viewers as pre-packaged and static, but the creation of the AMVs really highlights their materiality, and sometimes you can still see evidence of that in the videos.
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