Rhetorical Aims in Online Content

A quote that stood out to me from Lisa Dush’s piece, “When Writing Becomes Content” addresses the way in which digital writing brings challenges to writers that other “traditional” writers do not face. Because digital content can be found, and searched for online, it is easy to take it out of context. In her piece she states, “No matter how well a post is crafted as writing, it is unlikely to meet its rhetorical aims if it is not also prepared as computable content.” This quote initially took me aback and made me question whether it was even possible to create a piece that is 100% effective in every shape– in a way that it is effective when being read on a laptop, a computer, a cellphone, and as regular text. I think conventions make it difficult because beyond the rhetorical aims, the visual appeal of a piece can distract from its goal. If a writer creates something on their computer but fails to check how it looks on a phone, it can throw readers off further complicating the comprehension of their rhetorical aim.