Digital Story Ideas

 

Digital story telling is used as a way for everyday people to share their stories through digital tools. Individuals  use this as a way of presenting ideas to others. These stories can also be interactive.  There are seven elements that make up a digital story:

  1. Point of View
  2. Dramatic question
  3. Emotional Content
  4. Voice
  5. Soundtrack
  6. Pacing
  7. Economy

Listed below are my just a few of my  life experiences that are meaningful to me. I’m only 29, so I’m sure there will be more to come.

  1. Brunch with my girls
  2. CEO Millionaires Boot camp
  3. Thanksgiving 2016 : Turkey Perfection
  4. LA trip
  5. Annual trip to the Fair
  6. Hanging with my big sister as an adult
  7. Runyon Canyon
  8. Beach is my happy place
  9. My grandma passing from lung cancer
  10. Being an Aunt

Out of this list I have chosen five of them in particular that have the potential to being created into a digital story.

Brunch With My Girls

This is a monthly occasion where five other women and myself get together and enjoy each others company.  We like to meet in the city at a quaint location and catch up on our lives. We try not to gossip to much but we do. We more so like to converse about what the next big moves. And of course we relax and indulge mimosas and wine and just have a good time. This quality time mean a lot to me its great to be able to have such a bond with other like-minded individuals.

CEO Millionaires Boot Camp

CEO Millionaires Boot-Camp was an event that I worked for. Initially I attended a previous event hosted by 2 Chainz manager. And was invited to be apart of the next event. Which was unheard of and never done before. It was advertised on all media platforms radio, IG, FB, Twitter etc. I was able to learn so much and create connections with a group of people that I will always be apart of.

LA Trip

This trip was everything. First time on the West Coast. First time in LA. And once again with a group of people that has become family. I work as an executive assistant to an A&R who owns his own management  company. I was able to meet and rub shoulders with elite people in the entertainment industry. I was able to do some sight seeing.

Quality Time with Big Sister

My sister and I were able to meet up recently during my stay in Cleveland, OH. She is 10 yrs older than I, and also my half sister. We just share the same dad. Usually we communicate through social media. Bu we were able to hang out and talk and chill. And we found out that even though we are so far apart we are very similar. We love the same things, have the same hobby, and share the same visions. This experience meant everything to me.

 

Beach is My Happy Place 

The beach. Its my safe haven, my calm place. It is just so relaxing. I could lay there in the sand all day. And the aroma of the ocean is so soothing, I have so many memories being at the beach. One memory in particular would be my firt trip ever without my mom after I graduated with my first real boyfriend. I was 18 at the time. That was just a fun time. And even a fun year for me.

 

 

What is a Meme?

Meme, is a word that is no stranger to today’s digital culture. It was first coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. He compared a meme to genes and evolution. It is very similar due to how a gene can imitate itself. Dawkins was inspired by the Greek word Enthymeme, which means an argument in which one premise is not explicitly stated.

Arguments usually have :

  • Major Premise
  • Minor Premise
  • Hidden Premise
  • Conclusion

The classic Enthymeme example is

  1. All men are mortal
  2. Socrates is man
  3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Enthymemes can be persuasive and less persuasive, it helps makes arguments readable.  Often premises are hidden. A hidden premise is not actually stated when an argument is presented. They are not mentioned but assumed. But in order to get to the conclusion. When the hidden premise is verbally expressed it confirms the argument.

Our culture is changing. And just like Enthymemes, memes use premises and a conclusion, but with images. The audience determines the conclusion based on the culture. Depending on the culture or society you are apart of determines if you will understand or can relate to the meme.

Memes help understand digital culture.

Just like this Arthur fist meme:

If you do not know of Arthur then you would not know that this is an image of Arthurs fist. Arthur is a children’s television series. But even though someone may not have ever watched Arthur before you can relate this image to frustration or a specific situation when one has been infuriated. And most of the time this meme is accompanied by words that give a conclusion that this is how you feel.

Memes are participatory, meaning anyone can change it or repackage/remix it in a way they want to and it could eventually go viral!

Here is a Meme that I created.

 

 

Digital Analysis of Coca-Cola

 

Advertisements have always used rhetorical appeals to lure in certain audiences. And without even paying much attention advertisements have changed over time. Take the #1 selling carbonated beverage Coca-Cola for example, if you analyze some the first advertisements up until their latest advertisements you can see the change in rhetorical trends over time.

Coca-Cola is an American carbonated drink invented in the late 19th century by pharmacist John Pemberton in Atlanta Georgia, originally intended for medicinal usage.

 

 

This was one of the earliest ads by Coca-Cola . Printed in the late 19th century, it advertised the product being sold as a patent medicine for 5 cents per glass at all fountains.

It was known as a healthful carbonated beverage to relieve fatigue and exhaustion. Coca-Cola soon began to become a beverage to refresh you after a long day, or just to relax because of the prohibition era. And was very popular during WW1.

Coca- Cola evolved as time changed so did the the advertisements. It became popular and depicted happiness and wellness and people could relate when drinking a “Coke”. It was a brand that reflected a good time.

 

Her is a commercial from the 1950s:

During the 50s living the American Life was ideal. Coca-Cola advertisements and commercials began to show wholesome families in leisure, relaxing, and being comfortable. And began to gain popularity globally. The advertisement of this product was not merely in newspapers but grew to radio, posters, and television.

 

Then skipping to the 90s  on of my favorite Coca-Cola commercials to date is the one that launched singer Tyrese Gibsons career. Playing just another person riding public transportation bus, he busted out singing. Thats when he became known as the “Coca-Cola Boy.”

 

As of recently in 2016 Coca-Cola launched their global advertising campaign in seven years. This campaign unites all trademarks of Coke brands and brings everyone around the world together, incorporating diversity, new products and the health and well being. As the world went through major changes Coca-Cola remained the same quality while making sure to change with the trends to appeal to the audience  and different eras. It will forever be the brand that exudes happiness.

I have personally assembled  a video ! Enjoy!

 

 

Analyzing Rhetorical Artifacts

Ethos,pathos, logos, and kairos are four elements used to form persuasive messages. Ethos is ethics, or the intentions from the author speaker composer to persuade the audience. Pathos is emotional, the appeal to beliefs and feelings. Using emotions to persuade your audience is very powerful. Logos, logic reasoning appeals more to statistics. Kairos, a different type of time. To understand this element you need to understand the context and the community. You as a rhetorician should always pay attention to particular strategic moments or the kairotic moment.

Digital rhetoric includes each element.

Dove is a personal care and soap brand. They started the “Dove Beauty Campaign” in order to get more women to buy the product, but to also get the message across to all women no matter what you look like you are beautiful.

Just like in this Dove commercial/advertisement:

I chose to analyze this Dove commercial and their Real Beauty Campaign. I am going to start with building an analysis around the triangle. And also analyzing the rhetorical elements pathos, ethos, and kairos Dove uses in order to market to women.

  • Author: Dove
  • Audience: The universe
  • Subject: This commercial is advertising that there is not just one type of beauty. Everyone in the universe is beautiful and Dove celebrates all types of beauty.
  • Pathos: This makes the audience want to buy Doves products because they want to feel as beautiful as the women using this product. It conveys the feelings of confidence, happiness, and individuality  through the difference in race, the clothes they wear, the choice in the instrumental, and all of the smiling faces portrayed in the commercial. All women can relate.
  • Ethos: All of the women are regular day to day women. There is no one person that is credible in this commercial. Which makes women that are not in the public eyes seem just as pretty. This is something that i’m sure all women have a problem dealing with. Everyone wants to be perfect, but in this commercial t shows that you can be perfect in your own way. Everyone does not have to look the same in order to feel beautiful.
  • Kairos:  Young girls perception of beauty is rapidly transforming

 

 

Internet Dialect

What are Dialects and how can you apply them to the worldwide internet? Well according to Google, dialect is a form of language specific to a regional or social group. It is the way people converse to others. Like a special language that only people within that one specific group can understand.

The video, Are There Internet Dialects, breaks down the topic of internet dialect. It is not only geographic but regional and social. This includes word choice, vocabulary change, and the arrangement. These groups are also called speech communities. Within a speech community members share language ideology. And most people are not confined to just one community but to multiple communities. For example the internet is made up of many different social groups or speech communities such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn just to name a few.

Facebook is a  social media site where you can connect with family members and friends and keep in touch. You can also upload and post pictures and videos. From my experience he dialect I have on Facebook is way more conservative due to family members being my friend. They follow and watch everything I do. So I would not want to give them a bad impression of myself.  I am much more conscious of what I say post and the wording and spelling of my status’ are usually formal.

 

However Instagram or IG, is where I am more informal with everyone. I let lose and can really be myself. My pictures and topics vary. This social media site is easier to build brands and businesses. Easier to communicate with people you may would never be able to reach in the “Real World.” The use of hashtags are very important. Hashtags are used to find similar post, thus creating a mini communities within the IG community.

How people talk and communicate change from site to site.

 

The Art of Persuasive Speaking: Rhetoric

Rhetoric is somewhat a debatable concept. it may mean one thing to one individual and something totally different to another. For instance Aristotle said, “[ the function of rhetoric] is not to persuade but to see available means of persuasions in each.” While Andrea Lunford said, “Rhetoric is the art, practice, and study of communication.” I agree most with Lunford.

To be honest I never really thought this deeply about the word “Rhetoric” until the topic came up in class. I have always used the phrase “rhetorically speaking” when I’m asking a question. Because when you ask a rhetorical question it is not meant to be answered and an answer is not expected. It is clear that asking a rhetorical question is to make  a point. Rhetoric is the way to convey a message.  Just as speaking rhetorically it is to make your point known based on your emotions and experiences.  While reading Digital Writer I learned that you can find rhetoric in different forms other than speaking(orality) and writing(literacy) but digitally. As the world evolves and technology enhances there are more available forms of persuasion. This is called Digital Rhetoric. For instance the Bible can be a form of rhetoric writing.

Even taking a photograph, according to Roland Barthes, is not simply an act of “recording” whats in front of the lens, but a rhetorical process. Images are used to replace writing. (Morey) Even the alphabet is a set of images.

Some think of rhetoric as good and some think of it as evil. But its just a tool to pass messages along effectively. People have their own values and beliefs. And through their experiences they are persuaded. But when trying to get ones point across you have to consider the message, audience, medium and a few other things in order to craft your argument. If not you can offend your audience.

An example of Rhetoric in an image

This image is rhetorical. And that each different size heel(shoe) gives off a different perception of what type of woman she is when wearing them .

 

Just Me Cherry

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My name is Cherish Baker. If you don’t already know, my first name is an actual word which means to protect and care for something or someone lovingly, to hold dear, or to keep in one’s mind. When I tell someone my name they usually say” Oh Cherish like…” and proceed to sing “Cherish the day” by Sade, or “Cherish” by The Association. Can we say AWKWARD.

I am a non-traditional student at Kennesaw State University, majoring in Communication with a focus in Media Studies. I have always been very interested in the entertainment industry.  I have taken and intend to continue to take the steps to get closer to my passion by attending events, conferences, and festivals to network, create and build valuable relationships. I have always been told that I am a very personable, intelligent, well-spoken communicator not only verbally but in a gestural manner as well. And that I should pursue something using those qualities such as being a news reporter, radio personality, or entertainment correspondent. While being an entertainment correspondent is something I would love to do one day, my passion is music and helping people achieve their goals as artists. I am very much into scouting and developing artists. Which brings me to my occupation. I am an Executive Assistant to an A&R (artist and repertoire) which I just a fancy name for talent scout. While I am scheduling studio sessions and taking notes in meetings, he is taking me under his wing and training me just as someone trained him. It is all about hands on experiences, you learn so much!

I am a city girl. If you are looking for me that’s where you can find me. I do not see myself moving anytime soon. With Atlanta becoming a mini Hollywood, there are opportunities arising all the time.

Overall I am a very spontaneous, easy going person that is ready for this adventure called “Life.”