VISUAL ARGUMENTS BLOG  (Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments.)

 Mary E. Hocks provides some interesting insight into the world of digital media in her article “Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments.”  In this article she notes that there are three key components to digital media: Audience Stance, Transparency, and Hybridity.  Hook notes that Audience Stance involves “the ways in which the audience is invited to participate in online documents” (pg. 632).  I find this to be an interesting observation and very notable in most news websites.  Alongside being able to hyperlink to different locations to provide more information regarding a story, its common to find a comment section on the bottom of most article posted online. This provides a means for the audience to “participate” in the document as it opens a window for there to be in-depth conversation between individuals regarding the post. Additionally it can provide a means for the author to also contribute further to the article by answering audience questions or contributing to the online discussion. The comments section is circled in the image below note that the article ends at the top of the image followed by adds into the comment section.  In Hocks online article “Monitoring order”, she provides color coded bars at the top of the screen to help the audience identify which part of the essay they are reading.   This is a concept that can be noted when clicking on a hyperlink on a website.  The link changes color to notify you that you have already visited that are of the site. Additionally the navigation bar at the top of most websites can also help in guiding the viewer through the site and through online documents.  Lastly, hybridity is noted as “the way in which online documents combine and construct visual and verbal designs” (pg. 632).  The utilization of space to put text and images in places that may seem unconventional or innovative is seen on the website www.ign.com.  This gaming centered website utilizes the side margin to promote upcoming video games and movies.  Clicking on the image can link to an article within the site or to a promotional webpage that further highlights the advertisement. Notice advertisements on the side of the site surrounding the document which ends at the very top of the image. 



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