Though I am extremely familiar with using internet sites, creating my WordPress blog has still introduced things I did not know how to do. I have had to edit my blog multiple times to make the layout more efficient, and easier to navigate based on my menus and categories.

I cannot imagine, however, creating some of the first internet sites where there was no standard for organization. As the website further emerges and more technology like our phones are able to access websites, things like "mobile mode" and "desktop mode" have emerged, which requires a reformatting and changing of the mode used to convey this information. Technology today is continuing to put pressure on current formats, and must continue to be updated to meet consumer expectations.

In Julie Compton's article regarding the "pussy hat" they discuss that the color pink has been deemed as weak and frilly, but it is not the color. It is the fact that pink has become symbolic for women, who are looked down upon. The issue with the hat's design is not the color, but the name. I found it interesting that in the article there is a tweet embedded that contains a picture of a hat that someone knitted with pink, blue, and white yarn. These colors make up the trans-flag, and are there to show support.

At the end of the article the tone shifts and goes on to acknowledge that not everyone sees the hat as influential at all, and some people are really unconcerned with the disagreements behind it. Rather than regarding the hat as so important, it is important to remember it is the actions of the people that will make change. I think this shows the limitations of text, as it can speak to inspire but cannot actually act on a situation.

This is something that we have discussed in class, regarding our primary source descriptions. When creating work that is intended to reach a large audience, you have to consider all the walks of life people may be from, and potential disabilities they may have. To reduce exclusivity, the creator should consider the ways in which different modes may enhance the quality of the text. Often this is the case without making "accommodations," as in television where we have both audio and video present, and subtitles can be turned on.

However there are exceptions, and often times disabilities are not accommodated in our society. Braille and sign language interpreter being present can help to make up for the short comings of some texts that are not structured in a way that allows everyone to experience them.

With our primary source descriptions, we are attempting to appeal to all senses to that those who may not have all five may experience the quilt through our words.

Speeches that are delivered across any media should be very thoroughly examined before the public ever hears them. Typically in speeches and advertisements alike there is a tag line for the audience to take away that is memorable and catchy.

If this were an advertisement in the form of an appealing commercial, "BP cares about the small people" seems like a great phrase to bring in customers who like the idea of a family oriented, personal business. In this case, it is not the word choice of the speech that create controversy, but rather the words in context. It is hard to make a corporation who just had a major accident that will seriously affect natural life feel like a company with good intentions and a familial atmosphere. You also have to consider the attitude of the audience to determine how open they are to accepting your statements. A consumer watching TV or reading an online ad may be neutral or accepting of your product without much convincing. In this case, however, the audience was not open-minded consumers.

This speech serves not only to assuage the current audience, but also will be for reference in the future. When someone looks into BP, they will not only judge their products but their track record as a company. If they handled the issue well, it could potentially change the minds of customers who have bad first impressions of what they stand for. Additionally, if the spill has any sort of lasting impact as an ecological issue, it is likely that their statements will follow in the story, therefore they had to choose carefully to please multiple audiences.

Through the Honors College, I have a University Assistantship in the Aphasia and Motor Speech Disorders Laboratory at GSU. My job is to measure spectrograms, which are another form of a visual wave. Licensed Speech-Language Pathologists use spectrograms to analyze where the speech disorder is occurring in the mouth. They are then able to diagnose and treat the issue. In this case, a sound is converted to a visual which gives the therapist a plethora of information.

The Voyager Golden record was limited to 2 copies when it was first created, but since has been expanded to be sold. While this is a massive change from the original intent, what's more surprising to me is the digital excerpt which is multimodal in and of itself. When you open the page, there is a header image that is a galaxy. Additionally, the album artwork is present as you look at the file. There is even a visual of the wave of the soundfile.

The reason that this is particularly exceptional to me is not because of any of these things, which pale in comparison to the fact that the file has been digitized at all. This is a prime example of the update of a text, and it has entirely switched from one media to another. This changed accessibility and allowed for more modes to be inserted to enhance listening, but it exists at he same time that you can purchase a vinyl which preserves its original format. The two may provide different listening experiences, but contain the same music, which I think is incredible.

This essay goes on to analyze, in the format of what appears to be a textbook, the ins-and-outs of multimodality, its uses, and its impact. Throughout this informational text, I have used multiple supplemental readings to analyze more than just the information presented and rather make it a discussion on a deeper level. Throughout the text, I have used my supplemental readings to focus on two key points:

1. How can modes be interpreted or misinterpreted by the audience?
2. How does the time in which a text was created affect the modes used, and how should we update them to make sure they stay relevant?

The articles I most often used are here and here.

"Pink ‘Pussyhat’ Creator Addresses Criticism Over Name" addresses the way in which a seemingly harmless (and even forward thinking) design of the pussyhat was interpreted as derogatory and exclusive of all people. The knitted cap became a symbol of feminism, regardless of the fact that it was nothing but yarn.

In the second article, "Forty Years Later, the Golden Record Goes Vinyl" the Voyager Golden Record is the topic of discussion. Forty years ago, Carl Sagan led the production of two records which were to be sent off into space. The record featured a collection of works that, if encountered by extraterrestrials would serve to speak and describe the culture of earth at the time. Though at first the record was not ever distributed, it has since been reproduced and is being sold.

When reading the article "Forty Years Later, the Golden Record Goes Vinyl" I was considering the fact that even if best case scenario the records traveled to another planet and found another intelligent life form, there is no denying that there is a HUGE change this life form would not know how to play the record and therefore would miss out on all the work put into it. Because it was 40 years ago, a record was pretty much the only compact mode of media though, so there weren't many options. Today if we were to do the exact same thing, the media would probably be sent on an iPhone, so no supplemental technology was used to play it.

Since this text was published, the layout of twitter has changed even more. Instead of square profile pictures, the layout has changed to circle photos. Additionally, the header image now spans the entire width of the profile with the profile picture being on the left hand side, rather than in the middle. Also instead of the directory menu being at the top left it is now below the picture on the bottom left. The whole layout is organized very efficiently, and I have linked my profile here for a visual of my description. The article says the designers of twitter "chose" but I think a better way of phrasing this would be that the creators continue to analyse how efficient their methods are. This poses a new idea that modes of text must be updated with social and cultural change.

In Julie Compton's article "Pink 'Pussyhat' Creator Addresses Criticism Over Name," she addresses that femininity is seen as inherently bad in many aspects of our life. After creating a knitted hat that was widely worn to women's marches and began to be used as a symbol of femininity, people began speaking out that the hat was transphobic and didn't do a good job standing for the ideals that feminism stands for. Krista Suh, the creator, responded that he word "pussy" is often used in a derogatory way to describe anyone who shows signs of femininity. The idea that things that seem female are often criticized is backed up by the story of Katie Couric, who tried to appear more approachable but was criticized because she seemed more feminine than male news anchors. This poses the question for me: How can people criticize her for something that is in her nature? As a woman, it is relatively explainable that she is going to behave more "like a woman" than a man would, and that seems pretty straight forward to me. More than that though, the fact that Couric's gestural communication was perceived as more important than the words she was speaking proves just how influential multimodal texts can be. In this same way, regardless of how much of an activist Krista Suh was, her creation of the pussy hat led to people discrediting her as a feminist.