2. In Miller’s argument, I find multiple strengths and weaknesses. I found that a strength of Miller’s argument, as well as a rhetorical strategy, is his use of statistics. Miller first cites the British Medical Journal in ordr to state that it is even safer for college students to smoke than drive. Additionally, Miller utilizes rhetorical questions to prove his argument. I believe that this is a strength as well. When it comes to Shieh’s op ed, I found multiple strengths and weaknesses. One strength is the fact that Shieh utilizes personal experience to prove his arugment which I believe establishes his credibility. Shieh also utilizes the data of the concentration of nictotine to prove the counter argument wrong that the reason smoking is banned at SDSU is due to secondhand smoke outdoors.  However, I do feel that Shieh should have utilized more statistics for his argument.

The digital literacy skills that I believe are important for the youth to develop include communication skills, creative skills, and collaborative skills. As a millennial, I witness my peers post on social media quite frequently. Unfortunately, though, I feel that some of my peers are lacking communication skills to effectively prove their points. It could be a misspelled tweet, an Instagram caption full of emojis and no words, or a post on Facebook that just is not coherent. In this day and age where social media is so prevalent, I feel that the youth needs to care more about making sure that they are effectively proving their points while utilizing correct spelling and grammar. Additionally, creativity is obviously needed in order to create posts that stand out due to originality. I also feel that millennials need to be able to effectively collaborate with one another to share ideas.

Boyd also offers solutions to this issue of unequal digital literacy among youth, which I personally think is a noteworthy issue. When Boyd states, “By not doing work…to help youth develop digital competence, educators reproduce digital inequality…as privileged youth have more opportunities,” (180) I completely agreed with her. It is not right to assume that all teens are digitally literate, as opportunity varies among demographics. The solution that Boyd offers is that educators should take on a role of helping youth navigate the digital world as well as “focus more on skills and knowledge necessary to make sense of the mediated world,” (180). It is entirely true that in this day and age it is completely necessary to become comfortable with technology in order to succeed in higher education and the career force, so educators should work on bridging the gap throughout the youth and avoid assuming that all young people are completely digitally literate.

Throughout the “Sundiata” text, strong emotions are revealed. When the mother exclaims, “‘Happiness did not pass us by! Magan Konate has risen! Oh! Today! Today is sweet!,’” she is showcasing her emotion and the audience will feel empathetic toward her, (451).

As Ong claims, this is because oral texts are characteristic of the human lifeworld, and the human lifeworld is full of violence, conflict, and agony. As oral texts do not have literal words to clarify action and thought, the texts rely heavily on description of human action, not verbal explanation.

The entire song follows a repetitive format so as to assist the griots in memorizing the story. Ong states that in oral culture non formulaic thought is simply a waste of time, as there would be no way to remember it without some sort of rhythm, (31). Delivering a proverb in the form of song creates a formula to be traditionally remembered throughout the ages.

redundant, tedious, and even copious, however in oral culture it is entirely necessary to keep the speaker on track. Additionally, Ong claims that hesitation is debilitating, so it is always better to repeat when delivering an oral story.

work is passed on through many generations, and in order to accurately remember details of the stories, repetition is absolutely necessary. According to Ong, the mind tends to move more slowly orally, and the act of repeating words keeps a speaker on track

I utilized Ong’s, “Some Psychodynamics of Orality,” as a lens for the story of “Sundiata,” and found many connections between the two texts.

Thompson mentions that although the Internet has fostered many new connections and ideas, it has also given prejudice a stage that it has never had before. It is true that publi

As Thompson mentions, multiple questions and answer sites, such as Quora, have given people the opportunity to bounce ideas off of one another and explore concepts in a way that has never been done before. The answers to thousands of questions can be discovered by mere keystrokes. This new form of conversation that the Internet has created has become vital to public thinking.

hompson makes the point that, historically, reading has always had more of a moral dimension and the purpose of influencing one to become a better person. I found this point particularly astonishing and would be interested in exploring this further. I

This new wave of digital writing is largely due to the emergence of the Internet, which has influenced and encouraged the public to engage with one another’s thoughts daily.

Hi! My name is Kayleigh Venne and I am a senior majoring in journalism with an emphasis in media studies. I love all things social media and I also enjoy reading and writing. I currently write for the Arts & Culture section of The Daily Aztec covering campus and community events. I am originally from Michigan but I have been living in Southern California for nine years now. Outside of this class, I engage in tweeting and occasionally journaling. I use social media hourly and utilize it as a quick and simple way to get the news and keep up with those around me. I see social media accounts as a way to promote one’s “brand” and showcase one’s best self. I expect that this class will further prepare me for a career in social media in the future and teach me how to analyze writing in various media settings.