Digital Discourses

Although reading Bitzer was a bit taxing, there were definitely some very interesting and applicable points within this reading's dense text. Bitzer emphasizes the relationship of three elements that combine to set up a rhetorical situation: audience, constraints, and exigence. Compared to the forms of rhetoric that Bitzer probably had in mind while writing this piece, web design has some unique elements to its rhetorical situation(s).

One point that really stood out to me while reading this piece was the position of a designer. When an individual designs a website, they are setting up some of the constraints that will be placed upon the audience in their interaction with what the designer has created. Bitzer states "...when the orator enters the situation, his discourse not only harnesses constraints given by situation but provides additional important constraints - for example his personal character, his logical proofs, and his style" (8). Every designer has a unique style and character, and I think this impacts what functions we allow and omit within our websites.

Another point that stood out to me was the idea that a situation prompts an appropriate response. To me, this connects to our ever stronger connection to the digital environment. Since we are living more and more of our lives through a screen, websites are playing an increasingly important role in our day to day activities. It would make sense then that websites be designed in a progressive, dynamic manner that allows for constant changes, additions, and subtractions depending on what's happening in the greater digital media sphere. Bitzer says, "...rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action" (4). Again, technology acts as a mediator in our lives. One example that comes to mind are social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. These websites act as mediators in our actions of communicating with one another, and they enable and disable certain elements in these interactions based on their designs and functions. This begs the question: What does our increasing reliance upon mediating technology mean in terms of the power of those who design and maintain these technologies?