{"id":45,"date":"2023-12-19T22:40:51","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T22:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/writingfordigitalmedia\/?post_type=chapter&p=45"},"modified":"2024-02-03T18:30:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T18:30:44","slug":"rhetoric-in-the-digital-realm","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/writingfordigitalmedia\/chapter\/rhetoric-in-the-digital-realm\/","title":{"raw":"Rhetoric in the Digital Realm","rendered":"Rhetoric in the Digital Realm"},"content":{"raw":"

Influencers have become increasingly prominent on social media channels, where they engage with thousands of followers and often receive a salary and other perks from companies that benefit from their popularity. The more followers they have, the more money they make<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Nashville Film Institute), which means that many people have turned it into a full-time profession, and many more are trying<\/em><\/span> to generate enough followers to do the same. But have you ever wondered what types of skills a successful influencer must have? Or, similarly, have you ever thought about why businesses of all shapes and sizes spend so much time and money thinking about the different ways they want to communicate with their audiences? A content strategist<\/span><\/a><\/span>, responsible for creating an organization\u2019s communication plan, is typically a core member of the leadership team for one simple reason: businesses need customers in order to survive, and the process of engaging and retaining customers requires very intentional, continual messaging across a number of different channels (Cione-Kroeschel).<\/p>\r\n

You\u2019ve probably realized by now that all of these skills relate back to rhetoric. The basic elements of the rhetorical situation\u2014audience, message, speaker, purpose, exigence, and kairos\u2014are foundational in all of our interactions, whether personal or professional, and considering some of the (dis)advantages of digital spaces that we discussed in the previous chapter, rhetorical skills are even more important online, in moments where the speaker and the audience are separated by time and space. As opposed to in-person conversations, where audiences are more likely (hopefully) to actively listen to a message and where the speaker can (sometimes) gauge the audience\u2019s reaction and make appropriate adjustments, digital spaces create unique challenges that make it more difficult to get a message to \u201cland,\u201d especially if the audience is fairly broad and loosely defined. It\u2019s harder to capture people\u2019s attention among the onslaught of ads and spam messaging that people receive each day. It\u2019s more difficult to cultivate trust and make genuine personal connections. And it\u2019s less likely that people will understand your meaning when you\u2019re not right there beside them to guide them in the right direction or answer questions.<\/p>\r\n

These are just a few of the challenges that arise in digital communication, but the good news is that they aren\u2019t insurmountable. However, they do require a much deeper consideration of audience to identify the relevant needs, expectations, and values that would influence their interpretation and that should, therefore, guide the way that you craft a message. This chapter focuses on these key rhetorical considerations and thought processes that will facilitate more effective digital communication. While the chapter takes a more professional slant\u2014considering aspects of branding and audience engagement that might align with a business\u2019s marketing strategy\u2014the concepts presented here are also incredibly relevant to your own personal brand as well as your professional goals. Whether you aspire to be an influencer, a content writer, or something else entirely, the digital writing tools and strategies discussed here will significantly increase your success.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n

Learning Objectives<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n