Journal 4

Journal 4

Genre must always be kept in mind when creating or reading text because it provides the reader with such a plethora of information. For example, if the genre is comedic, the reader knows that the material is supposed to be funny or entertaining. As Wysocki points out, the design of a text or image gives immediate clues regarding the genre of the piece. "When you first look at a page or screen, you initially understand its functions and purposes because it follows the visual conventions of the genre." Wysocki gives the example of an essay saying, "When you see 81/2" by 11" white pages with double-spaced type, you probably see the pages, without having to think about it, as a “school paper” or “unpublished manuscript."" To follow my previous example, if something contained strips of images with comic sans text, the reader would assume that the piece is a comic meant to provide entertainment. 

In order to convey these desired genres, we then make the decision to use design related to the genre when composing. In addition, many statement pieces are made when the composer purposefully uses a design that is not fitting of the desired genre in order to make a point. For example, a man's resume went viral when, rather than using the format usually associated with the genre of a resume, he made it look like a magazine cover because he was applying for an internship at GQ magazine. 

Genre varies greatly according to the desired audience and purpose of the piece. Devitt discusses possible variations in a syllabus, highlighting the fact that teachers may use different variations, such as fill in the blank sections and different text sizes, to portray the desired goals and atmosphere that they want for the class. For example, a teacher who chooses a fill in the blank type of syllabus may be signifying a desire for the class to be more interactive and student led to his or her audience of students. 

Genre greatly impacts the circulation and distribution process of a piece. As is discussed in Miller and Shepherd's piece, "Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog," online genres open a piece to scrutiny by a much larger audience than the same piece would be exposed to if it only existed in print. At the very beginning of the piece, the authors discuss a girl who made a claim that the FBI had been reading her "diary." By choosing the genre of a blog for her diary, the girl unwittingly distributed it to anyone online who was interested in viewing it. Genre choice impacts the circulation and distribution process by targeting a specific audience. For example, an article published online may not reach as much of the older audience as would the same article published in a newspaper.