Network writing

 I really enjoyed chapter 6 of the textbook because of it's connection to social media platforms. Retteberg categorizes networks as "both technological and social structures" (152). Using different networks, an author can shift the meaning of their story.  I liked the example Retteberg gave of imagining if Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" used typography of "colorful children's blocks" or if Hitler's Mein Kampf was published in "a series of aphorisms on Hallmark Greeting Cards" (156). It makes me think differently about pieces of work and how the platform it's produced on, whether it be a book, video essay, twitter fiction, etcetera is a critical part of the work. Something really interesting about this chapter specifically was the precursor to internet based network writing: the postal system as a network. Thinking of the postal system as a network is something I've never really connected before. I wish mail literary art was still a popularized way of sharing creative works today. 


http://robwit.net/fbm/ 

For my bring it to the table, I looked at Rob Wittig's Friday's Big Meeting. It was published in 2000 and showcases an office love story that unfolds in a chat room. He uses pictures of (all white) characters, using different angles, zooming in on just the eyes or mouth, full body pictures, that correlate with the expression they're giving or the tone of their passage. On the home screen, you can pick between Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and it will send you to different chat pages that lead up to Friday's "big meeting". I liked the comedic tone of this network writing, especially the "secret notes" between coworkers. 

Comments

  1. Dr. MMarch 26, 2023 at 4:32 PM

    Wow, there is so much drama in the Friday meeting (and often inappropriate for the workplace?) (also, it is very white... aren't they in Chicago? Also, diversity in e-lit is a whole discussion).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ava GarciaMarch 28, 2023 at 8:44 AM

    Friday's Big Meeting sounds super comedic and lighthearted! It seems like a very entertaining piece of network writing and I'm excited to hear more about it in class!

    ReplyDelete

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