A Storm of Brains: Multimodal Argument
This post will document the startings of a short (~900 word+…pictures?) analysis on multimodal argument and on one particular argument: Virtual Reality use in an attempt to bring donators closer to the scene of relief. Not only is the issue at hand all about creating an immersive environment (VR), but the linked article make extensive use of the modes to create a rhetorical environment.
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What do we mean when we say “VR”, or the words “Virtual Reality”? As one of my classmates quickly noticed, the very words “virtual” and “reality” seem to be polar opposites in meaning: “anything virtual isn’t real, and anything real isn’t virtual” (Derek Wan). However, though we as humans do acknowledge that we do not have the power to create a true alternate reality, we can come incredibly close to simulating one. Virtually, the video game worlds our generation surrounds itself with are realities, just more crude and less sensual than our reality.
Screenshot of No Man’s Sky, immersive world-generating sci-fi game.
But what is the place of VR in the context of rhetoric? It is customary to think of text(actual print, typed, or spoken words) as the primary and preferred mode of argument. But what kind of job is almost entirely based on the concept of argumentation? Lawyers make claims and defend, and a majority of their rhetoric is spoken. Spoken words. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury to speak all the words I am writing here, but you’re missing a lot of my tone and voice if you’re reading this. We use voice to refer to the imagined or implied voice of the writer as if they are speaking, but that definition almost ignores the importance of the actual sound of the words. As a musically inclined person I believe the aural mode is imperative to not only rhetoric but every single experience we go through every day, from the sound of traffic when we go to class or work in the morning to the sound of a pan sizzling as we smell in the fragrances of our next meal. Yes, Taste and Smell – almost forgotten as senses in rhetoric and entertainment, but so so important to our enjoyment of every day.
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The book Writer/Designer (Arola, Sheppard, Ball) does well to define more than just the two usual modes – visual and aural – but unfortunately almost forgets we have other senses. They list linguistic, visual, aural, spatial, and gestural as their mode categories, which I could go into detail to explain. Rather than focus on defining the modes in my analysis, I want to establish more the similarity and disparity in the modes used in the article, the modes used by the startup company trying to save refugees, and the modes that VR employs/will employ.
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The type of research I will conduct will mainly be focused on the actual article, the context around the article (what is the parent site, who is the author, who are the people mentioned in the article), and the developments surrounding VR. This research can be summarized below:
Now that I am familiar with my subject, I move onto the meat of the prompt:
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-On a micro level, what’s significant / surprising about your chosen author’s choice of language, argument, and design/structure?
-On a larger scale, then: how might we re-see this debate, thanks to additional perspectives, voices, and your own insight & analysis?
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I am fairly critical of the author’s design choices, most notably his use of images (visual mode) and placement of quotes/captions. The actual language that Streep employs is in itself quite telling of his position as a “traditional” journalist (using his words here), in contrast to the “VR journalist” company Ryot that he extensively talks about.
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The article makes several references to the work of the showcased startup Ryot, called the Nepal Quake Project. As a primary example of VR for both the reader and the author, I would first like to display this work (as a hyperlinked video to be viewed on YouTube) before starting any analysis.
The Nepal Quake Project on YouTube, by Ryot.
After analyzing Streep’s rhetoric, I will get to the macro-level of the debate: How is the rhetoric of Ryot and Streep related to the rhetorics of media (including donation soliciting) and virtual reality (most notably film and video games)? I will make extensive reference to the modes that are examined in Writer/Designer and the modes used in Lapham’s Quarterly.
The structure of my final essay analysis can be visualized in the mind map above.
As you can see there are two paths in my argument that diverge from the BIG topic (VR use in media rhetoric), then converge and connect at “media and relief”. I want to see the connections between Virtual reality and helping others around the world, but first I want to separate them to two separate arguments: 1) the role of VR in media and 2) RYOT’s rhetoric and the article’s rhetoric in media. There are many points in the article I want to examine such as the “scrolling layout” and the focus on RYOT’s personalities. By critiquing the article and RYOT’s use of VR I hope to gain further insight in the role of VR in media and perhaps its role in the connections between people around the world.
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September 7, 2016
From Wikipedia: “RYOT is an immersive media company founded in 2012 based in Los Angeles. As humanitarian aid workers, first responders and filmmakers…[they] spotlight the world’s key global and social issues, creating innovative 360° and virtual reality experiences for viewers”. Though this introduction is quite biased and looks copy-pasted from Ryot’s own site frontpage, it does well to highlight the ambition that the company has and its very specific goals.
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In my introduction I will talk about the Nepal Quake Project and how effective it is as a VR experience, how effective it is as a piece of film/media, and how effective it is as an “empathy tool” (another phrase from Streep).
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Then, after transitioning into the exact article at hand I will dive directly into analyzing Streep’s use of linguistics, visuals, and design in his rhetoric.
