Accident and Accessibility

I was intrigued by Brown’s analysis of the accident, particularly the idea that if we were to memorialize accidents, we would need to do so with the understanding that accidents do not exist without the technology involved, that they are therefore not accidents at all (82). As he quotes Virilio as saying, “The shipwreck is…

Read More

RIDE in a Nutshell: A Blog Content Review

The Rhetoric in Digital Environments (RIDE) blog has facilitated thoughtful discussions and critiques around rhetorical concepts in digital spaces over the course of this semester. A diverse range of topics have been covered across different categories. This entry is a review of all the categories that summarize the correlational critical contents that have been submitted…

Read More

Mashup Mirror: A Funhouse Index of Attention

Come one, come all, to the mashup mirror—and get lost in the discursive journey of your reflection. As a response to Brown, Jr.’s call for a “mashup” approach to composing as a “matter of tuning the dial appropriately” and finding synergy between scholê and dromos (89); and Ridolfo and DeVoss’ call to consider how “rhetorical…

Read More

On Cognitive Dispersion: The Shift from Deep Attention to Hyper Attention in The Digital Age 

The rise of digital technologies has deeply shaped how people, especially youths, attend to information and tasks. Katherine Hayles makes a profound argument that the extensive use of digital technologies catalyzes a generational shift in cognitive modes and capacities. She explains that deep attention refers to the sustained, rigorous focus on a single object, text,…

Read More

Beyond the Looking Glass of “Likes”: What a Move to the Country Taught Me About Context Collapse and Relational Repair

It’s October of 2018. I’m moving to the rural fringes of my college town, and I’m anxious. I brace myself for lawns adorned with confederate flags and Trump memorabilia. I have imaginary dialogues with bible-thumping, gun-toting neighbors who would likely peg me, at first glimpse, as a liberal “snowflake.” I feel as though I’m venturing…

Read More

The Truman Show Embedded in our Reality of Smart Homes: Will We Be Held Captive Like Truman Burbanks?

        The concept of smart homes as modern panopticons and surveillance mechanisms is a thought-provoking perspective that raises concerns about the privacy and security implications of connected technologies within our living spaces. Han (2022) says that Google presents the interconnected smart home of the future as an “electric orchestra” with the resident as a “conductor” (5)….

Read More