The key to using the modes is to think logically on how you want an idea to come across. You have to think on a case by case basis for what would be the most effective strategies to accomplish a goal. Gaining attention can easily be done by sensory cues: auditory and visual, which can then by followed up with a combination of the other modes as well as the previous two to spread an idea.

The best way to provide information of this type and scale would be to apply a combination of the modes more evenly as shown in the map. By combining the geography and locations of the map with the numerical information from the chart, a better sense of scale is created. Visually, a striking image is shown of the lands affected by the Works Progress Administration as well as how population could be centered, with larger populations receiving more government assistance. Linguistically, while less numerical values are shown, they are reflected in the color coding of the map area to area, which shows greater relations, instead of general, overall totals, which do not reflect the dispersion of the WPA's assistance programs.

Relating it back to our lit class, this is the whole point of Primary Source Descriptions. The source descriptions not only give a physical description of what can be seen in a picture, but they also provide further insight to the physicality of an object that cannot be determined solely through images, such as textures, and descriptions of colors that don't always appear accurately in digital images. The descriptions that accompany images in primary source descriptions can also provide context by including other related documents that give the object a more clear depiction to how it fits in place and time.

The arrangement of a website is crucial to keep users coming back to it. If a user interface is clunky and difficult to use, then what could have been potential returning users could easily never return, instead, turning to other sites that do essentially the same thing but with better UI. If a website has many pages that could be linked and organized together, but has no tabs or other layouts to arrange this, it likely won't have as many users as one that does. Similarly, having a layout too close-knit can be an issue; writing, be it on a webpage or an essay that doesn't separate ideas with effective means (such as paragraphs), will not have the same traction as one that does.

Sound is a necessity to the success of any film or show. Soundtracks provide an atmosphere to the feeling a film is trying to give off. With a shift in soundtrack (as well as some visual changes), the animated kid's movie Frozen can become a dark scene of horror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eD2UpdhbwA Sound is another strong psychological trigger, that can cause reactions anywhere from joy and elated moods, to lowered heart rates and relaxation, to anxiety and fear. For example, the song Weightless by Marconi Union https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcAVejslrU was created with the intention to relax listeners, and was found by neuroscientists to effectively accomplish just that (https://health.good.is/articles/relaxing-song-ever-recorded-stress)

The visual mode seems to be essentially the most important of the five modes in today's society. To most, appearance is everything; with news sites needing viewership to generate income, sensational titles that don't always reflect the article accurately are highly demanded. If someone is scrolling through a site and doesn't see an article that interests them, then they aren't likely to click on anything. Not only online, visuals are key to many productions for film and art. Mental cues can be triggered simply from colors, but can also be more direct with present images. For example, the pussyhats worn during the Women's march were pink, a color specifically chosen as it is viewed as a color of the weak by society, a color that is feminine. The hat, rather than promote the color as weak, sought to represent it as a powerful color, a sign of women's strength.

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pink-pussyhat-creator-addresses-criticism-over-name-n717886

No matter how well intended a cause is, there will always be those who are offended by positive attempts to solve a problem. With this, it was the phrase "small people" that caused audiences to find issue with his actions. While this not only detracts from his point, Carl-Henric Svanberg's message is completely derailed by these grievances. Similarly, while the pussyhat was meant as a symbol of femininity used to unite, critics took it to be a sign of transphobia and in a much farther leap racism. The critics took the initial point of the hat, and turned it against itself, creating negativity towards an object solely meant for awareness and unity.

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pink-pussyhat-creator-addresses-criticism-over-name-n717886

I feel like the idea of the pussyhat fits in well here. Not only was the pussyhat multimodal, but it could also be used to amplify the multimodality of the Women's march it was used in. While the Women's march was most certainly spacial, taking up large spaces with the numbers in attendance, it was also visually striking with those present, particularly so with the flashes of color from these pussyhats.

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pink-pussyhat-creator-addresses-criticism-over-name-n717886

This section provides further explanation for the earlier assertion that writing alone can be multimodal. I feel like that section, however would be much better placed around this section of the text. Logically, it fits better as a sidenote here, where it can be referenced easily to the text as opposed to at the beginning where no supporting material can be found.

The supplemental text I chose was the NBC article "Pink ‘Pussyhat’ Creator Addresses Criticism Over Name". The article goes over an explanation of what the pussyhat is: a hat worn at the various Women's Marches that occurred in January, created by wearers to promote feminism, then goes on to describe a controversy involving how people viewed the hats as transphobic and in some cases racist. The article continues by provide the creator of the pussyhats' reaction to this, with her feeling that none of the perceived issues were intentional, and explaining her reasoning for the specific issues. I feel that this text relates to the main text due to its dealings with the hat itself being multimodal. The creator Krista Suh stated in the article the name of the hat's significance,“I think ‘pussy’ refers to the female anatomical part, but it’s also a word that’s used to shame people who are feminine … whether they are men, women [or] genderqueer. And I think what it comes down to is that femininity is really disrespected in our society.” Along with the name, the color is also used to represent this femininity, with pink typically being seen as a weak color by society.

This section is confusing and somewhat conflicts the section of the text it is in and personally, I find that it detracts from writers' ethos. In the surrounding text, the multimodal examples provided all clearly incorporate distinct modes of communication, while describing solely writing as multimodal stretches this schema. The explanation for this is that the lack of images combined with the readers view of the columns of words act as an image because from this, the work can be determined to be academic in nature. I feel like this isn't a valid argument, however, due to the basis of it is that the lack of images as a second mode acts as an image in itself. It provides an argument that isn't overly clear or persuasive.