The conventions in which I write on social media and for my academics are significantly different. Take my Instagram account for example, this is where I post to the world to show them what I am currently doing. I caption my photos dumb things such as “on top of the world” or “cheers to my girls.” In contrast to the papers I write for my classes, if someone were to judge me based solely off of my social media, they would think I was incapable of forming an actual sentence.
The aim of my posts are purely just a flex of what I am doing. Social media is actually very pointless in my opinion, yet I still hypocritically use it often. I suppose in the end, it is a way to bond and communicate with other people in my generation. But to relate back to my original point, proper sentence structure simply does not exist when you are posing and smiling at your best angles.
I do not know if this is just a factor that I should merely accept, but it is something I often notice. I became more aware of this when I went to college. When you first meet a person, this is commonly one of the first things they ask for. It has become part of my age group’s language. The ways in which we communicate have drastically changed, and I am guilty of it too.
I find that I feel better when I am writing about something I care about in an environment that is healthy. My habits of taking mental notes when I hear something important have increased significantly. The nature and beauty of writing should not be dumbed down when it comes to posting on social media.
There are multiple different conventions in which I write, but I feel as if the one that differs most is my verbal communication (assuming that speaking is also a type of language). For example, the way that I talk to my professor is significantly different from the way I speak to my friends. The things I discuss, the words I choose to use, and the context in which I talk are all immensely different. In fact, the way I am writing this paper is not how I would choose to regularly talk to my friends. This proves that the intended audience affects my writing.
The feedback I will receive from this will also affect not only my future pieces that I compose, but it will bend my writing voice too. This is because the reader enhancing my work is very respected and is aiming for my own personal growth. I became aware of this very drastic difference when I started to think about this assignment. I believe that highlighting and acknowledging this will allow me to think even more critically.
Not only do the people that I am aiming to talk to matter, but the environment I surround myself with has a massive impact on the outcome of my writing. I have realized throughout completing these many RWD’s and reading summaries that who and what I surround myself with is very crucial to the quality of my work. For example, my beginning assignments were completed at a local Starbucks with friends, my second assignments were completed at my desk at home. The results were very different. When I am alone, I do much better work.
I have found more recently that when I take notes during our classes, I can apply what we say better to our upcoming assignments and writings. In my previous endography, I mentioned that who you are writing towards makes a great impact on the outcome of your words. But, I thoroughly enjoy this class because I believe it pushes my creativity to the limits. I often find myself asking, “So what?” or “Why does this matter?” By questioning the importance of the text, it helps me to fully understand better. I now feel as if I can convey my messages more clearly and effectively.
To further this idea, I would say that I write in two different ways. The first way is to write for myself and my personal knowledge. I find that when I enjoy what I write, it is much better. In contrast, when I try to write to complete the assignment, I am not gaining anything from it, therefore proving it to be a waste of time. Although I realize I am not going to always enjoy what I write, asking myself why I am doing what I am doing always helps me to advance further.
Another way that helps me to improve is to be outside. The nature and fresh air helps to clear my mind and flow my creativity. When I started writing outside, I often found comparisons between the assigned pieces and everyday life. For example, I now look at things and question if other people see them the same way, this is from the writing Getting Rid of the Appearance- Reality Distinction by Richard Rorty.
