Being able to translate a scholarly article to two
different new genres can help you develop a better understanding of the
conventions and moves within each specific genre. You are able to use knowledge and conventions
of the genres while developing your writing.
I have chosen the article “The Political Power of Social Media:
Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change” written by Clay Shirky and
reviewed and published by the Council of Foreign Affairs. This article is written about the use of
social media and its effects on politics and political voice for the
public.
The one of the two genres and articles you can use to
translate this article into is a previously discussed genre: a Buzzfeed
list. Buzzfeed is a popular media
website that is famous for its use of lists to convey its message and
news. Buzzfeed spans a large variety of
news and popular culture posts. It has
actual news articles about present day issues.
Buzzfeed also focuses a lot on popular culture. I think that this scholarly article could be utilized
perfectly for this genre. You can take
all of the main points of the article on social media and politics and convert
it to a list. You can take the main
points of how politicians use media to better their public image. Another angle you can use is a list of how to
better people’s use of social media for getting their voices heard. “1. Make a hashtag and get your friends
together to get it treading. 2. Create a
Facebook group to increase social media presence. Etc.” These lists will be able to attract a large
following with both the politically involved and just interested young
generation. I think that the use of “The
Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political
Change” in a Buzzfeed list would be a great genre and medium to translate the
article to.
You can use the explained scholarly article is many
other ways to better reach a targeted audience.
While the Buzzfeed article would be better suited to a younger
generation and audience, you can transform “The Political Power of Social
Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change” to a more developed
and mature article. I think an opinion
piece on the recent use and benefits and detractions of social media in present
day politics. You can use the arguments in
the given article to better understand the use of social media in present day
political campaigns and other political movements. I would also for example highlight the
strengths and successes of the Obama 2008 Presidential campaign. He was one of the first politicians to successfully
use social media to benefit and attract people to his campaign. You can cross reference strategies explained
in the scholarly essay and real life uses and examples.
Understanding an article and genre enough to be able to
translate it to another genre with the same message is a particularly helpful exercise. You are then able to use and develop each
genre with a message using its own conventions.
Oren,
ReplyDeleteI think that your topic is very cool but challenging. Your topic is complex and could be hard to turn into something for the younger generation. Although you do seem like you have some excellent ideas here that you could for sure expand upon. I cant wait to see what the final out come of your younger generation will be. For the older generation I think your idea is great. Both of your ideas of the facebook group and the hash tag are both good moves. I look forward to seeing how you do, and the best of luck to you.
I think your topic is very relevant and thus shall be very interesting. I like how you provided a little sneak peak on how the translation is going to look like for the Buzzfeed article. I tend to procrastinate by reading buzz feed article myself so I see this genre as being a great way to grab people's attention, maintain their interest, and actually present them with information. As for the op-ed, I think that it will certainly capture the attention of an older audience and the fact that you provided the example of Obama's use of social media during his campaign underscores your understanding of the topic and thus your ability to translate it. Overall great idea. I wish you luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Oren,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I really like how your young audience idea is extremely relevant and popular amongst the young generation. By using something like Buzzfeed, it's sure to attract readers and instantly appeal to their young minds. Typically Buzzfeed is filled with content that is both informative and comical so it provides an effective method of teaching readers about certain topics. For the older audience, I thought that using President Obama as an example is a great way to appeal to the older audience. I feel like most of the younger generation don't really pay attention to politics so using it as a method for speaking to the older generation is effective. Going through your PB3A, it seems like you have a solid game plan and all that's left is the execution. I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to proofreading and reading your work!
Oren,
ReplyDeleteSomeone else is considering a Buzzfeed piece, and I told them that I wasn't sure what Buzzfeed was, EXACTLY, and... God, that's just embarrassing.
The good news is that I stand to really learn something here, so make sure you lay out all of the convention translations in explicit detail.
I've been telling some folks this: consider the essential elements of your scholarly piece and how to keep them in tact (or somewhat in tact) for your translated genres. Keep the "spirit" of the original piece a live in some way, and you'll be good to go.
The political connection to/for an older audience is a smart move (<~~~ a thinking "move!").
Z