Digital Humanities

Indeed — this is something I’ve been observing this semester. I used to assigning and grading longer papers, but my interactions with student writing in this class have been limited to blog posts and responses (which are composed on the fly and so “less well thought-out,” as you put it). This has resulted, on the one hand, in my noticing a lot more sloppy syntax, poor grammar, hasty word choice, etc. But it’s also prompted a certain strength and tenacity in argumentative thinking. This is sometimes a problem, as I see students forgetting to cite a given text or to make connections to larger arguments. But the arguments that I do see coming from students also strike me as being more emotionally complex, which can at times be a good thing.

I, too, think this is a useful quotation and nicely frames your response to Gannon’s writing. But I’d like to see you go into specifics with reference to Gannon’s quote: who is the “who” in question here? And how does that “who” — or that subjective identity — relate to your point that “social media is an opportunity rather than something extraneous”? How does one’s participation in social media platforms compel them to claim a certain kind of subjective identity?

[insert spooky graphic here]

I definitely agree that the world of social media can bring everyone together but it also has its implications. This misunderstanding is one of them. It is so much easier to interpret a text, tweet, photo, or post differently than the original intention that the poster would have liked. This becomes tricky when we add in emotions and cost. We, as a society, are all consumed in our feelings that we don’t take into consideration what emotions other people have as well.

Nick, do you think  this could stem back to the different discussions that we have had in class? We talked about the different categories (spectrum) that the humanities could have, do you believe this could just be a part in which the two on on different ends? Or possibly, the fact that they are arguing just to argue? To keep a fight in the humanities alive?

Nick, I agree with you. This quote does a very good job on supporting Gannon’s argument. You can even bring this into the world today and some of the things going one. For example, the Dakota Access Pipeline. We see important figures rallying against these pipelines and what they have to say. Most people would not know what is going on if it weren’t for important celebrity figures stepping in to create a stance on what they believe is right.