Journal

Being a writer in the 21^st century is very different than being a writer 100 years ago. One main difference would be the number of writers, or people that think they are writers. To be considered a writer I believe one must have one of the following traits: Be a successful author, being in an occupation that requires a lot of writing, have an English degree, or simply write a lot.

                In today’s world writing is available to most people in developed countries. The increasingly large amount of text that is being converted to a digital format is changing the way writing is perceived and who is considered to be a writer. People that specialize in digital media probably have degrees in computer graphics or some form of digital art. Even marketing degrees come with some knowledge of how to operate a computer effectively.

                The benefits of the digital age allow a good piece of writing is able to go viral and reach a large audience very quickly. It is also possible for a different form of communication, such as a video or a gif, to spread very quickly around the web. Lots of the writing posted on the social media sites (the less serious ones) is put up in the form of memes. Memes have become increasingly popular and an effective way to market an idea or piece of information is to put it in a meme.

                Overall the digital capacities present in today’s society allow for a larger amount of people to engage in writing, but in order to reach a professional level a degree of some sort is usually required.

Week 14

     A writer in the 21st century has access to many digital devices that could help their efficiency. This access to resources empowers and inspires writers because they can view other people's work. Instead of having to read through tedious novels and such to get one quote, writers interested in using a line said by someone else is at their fingertips via the internet. 
     Digital media is constantly improving which means the writing world is also being continuously improved. Collaboration, in a democratic manner, is a major additive to the digital world. People often go to sources such as Wikipedia which is a large archive full of collaborations. Users can find a topic and change or add to the information. By "democratic," the Lessig referred to the freedom of quoting other's work. When taking someone else's work, we have it engraved in our head by educational institutions to quote or cite it. It was interesting to read in the article that this is not always the case. The problem with digital media is the easy access. A writer can be so caught up on getting their information that they may forget to cite the source or choose sources that do not uphold the highest credibility. 
     It is not a secret that digital technologies will continue to make our lives easier. We are constantly surrounded by new digital devices which will aid in the advancement of writing. 

Week 14

To be a writer in the 21^st century means that you use your resources to their fullest that includes using the Internet to access works done by others. This access to others works also lends towards the fact that being a writer in the 21^st century means the use of collaboration in the creation of their works. This collaboration can be either on a direct working together on creating a final product or it could be using a document that was created by someone else to gather information needed to finish your writing. The documents used are also now sampled and quoted in the writings of 21^st century writers. The use of quote means that ideas directly from others are now used to support the ideas of the current writer.

            The emergence of digital technology does allow for new ways of composing writings. Technology allows for texts to be copied and quoted more easily as well as for different formats of the text to be created. Technology such as social media sites change the away that sentences are structured and how ideas are formed within a composition. The use of digital technology has made it easier for collaboration but at the same time the composing of documents can now be done on more advanced levels such as using font and formatting to change the way a text is received by the reader.

Week 14 Journal

To be a writer in the 21st century means that one may be exposed to a limitless amount of resources in order to construct and supplement pieces of writing. One thing that 21st century writers easily have at their disposal is the Internet. prior to the 1990's, most writers relied on physical collaboration at the most in order to make sure their works were coherent. A while after the internet was created, many more innovative tools had now become available to all writers, some of which include editing applications and the ability to tag written works in order to appeal to a specific audience. Writing in the 21st century also has the potential to flourish in many different forms as compared to writing prior to the 21st century. Thanks to the internet, writing may exist in the forms of blogging and commenting on said blogs, which enable people to share their thoughts about a certain topic or issue. This also serves as a whole new level of collaboration, as people may work together and discuss a certain topic from anywhere in the world rather than in person. Jenkins's examination on the creative writing site "The Daily Prophet" is a big example of this next-generation level of collaboration at work. The site was founded by a teenager and was ran by teenagers during its early years, and they all worked together within the comfort of their own homes in order to satisfy the imaginations of their audience, as well as themselves.

It is without question that the emergence of digital technologies has enabled writers to compose their works in multiple different formats, from typical written formats, to creative or informative blog posts. Since we as people see technology as the backbone of the future and we interact with it frequently, we may infer that technology is something that will consistently adapt and change as we see fit. Because of this, it is likely that writing will continue to evolve as well, potentially providing even more resources for writers in the process, whether their writing is professional or casual.

Week 14 Journal

To be a writer in the 21^st century means to use the internet as a resource. The internet has many advantages, allowing writers to collaborate together thousands of miles away, to compile information from a wide variety of sources, and to publish works of writing quickly and on a larger scale. Additionally, with new digital technologies there are more and more ways to compose each day. Digital composition is constantly developing and changing. Programs are now widely available for anyone with internet access to create websites, blogs, online newspapers and more. Resource websites like google scholar, world encyclopedia online, EBSCO, and more make it possible for academic journals and other writings to be shared with fellow scholars and students. Jenkins focuses his article on the idea of collaboration in writing in the 21^st century. He examines the internet site, “The Daily Prophet,” a fan community of the Harry Potter series who has student authors post articles based on the works of J.K. Rowling. Students from all over the world collaborate to write, edit, and run this site enabled by the internet. However, there is a fine line between collaborating and “stealing” ideas from Rowling. It’s hard to stay completely original in a world where we have access to countless amounts of information and works of literature. Lessig in his article also examines this idea of collaboration by quoting and the issue of originality in writing in the 21^st century. In particular, he looks at writing as democratic form of expression. By democratic, he simply means that everyone has the freedom to write as well as the freedom to quote other writers. Quoting gives credit to the writer, but still allows you the opportunity to use their ideas to support your own. The key with quoting is to use an others writers work to supplement your own, not replace it. Lessig goes on to examine the art of blogging, tagging, and the power of advertising in today’s realm of digital text. I believe that blogging is a great way to spread information and share stories, but nonetheless the credibility of blogs and the information they are claiming to be true can only be taken with a grain of salt. There are more credible sources available than internet blogs that should hold priority when composing research. To be a writer in the 21^st century, one must be careful and tedious when choosing sources and conducting research.

Week 13 Blog

To collaborate essentially means to join/work together. Two chairs put together collaborate to form a set of chairs. Two hands collaborate when one person shakes another’s hand.  4 people working on a project together participated in the art of collaboration.  There are a number of things in this world that wouldn't exist if it weren't for the act of collaboration. Collaboration usually takes place because if one were to work independently, the results necessary wouldn't likely be sufficient. Collaboration often times takes place out of necessity. Oddly enough, collaboration can however take place independently. If I am working on a project, the several tools that I have chosen to make the project all collaborate with each other to form the final product. Even more confusing, collaboration within collaboration can also take place. Let’s say I am collaborating with 3 other people to get a project done. Not only are our collective minds collaborating, but the materials that we come up with are also in collaboration. For example, if I am the one in the group responsible for the computer aspect of said project and the others are responsible for the physical portion (poster board, etc.). The digital and physical aspects of our project collaborate together to effectively express our ideas to the intended audience. As to the role that collaboration plays in everyday writing, I would argue that collaboration is generally not used in the manner of everyday writing. If you are forced to collaborate with others in your science class on a science fair project, I cannot consider that everyday writing. It is not independent and is clearly regulated. If you have the option to work on your science fair project independently, one might think every day writing is in play, but I can tell you why it isn’t. Although you are working independently, the contents of what you are collaborating your physical and mental tools with are to satisfy your professor, not yourself. Now if you’re writing a letter to a loved one or making a collage for someone special, I would certainly consider that act an example of everyday writing. Collaborating pen with paper, glue with pictures, scissors, etc. all contribute to the end product, which can be considered an example of everyday writing.

Week 13

Collaboration is "to work together, preferably in a joint intellectual way" according to freedictionary.com. In my own words it is to work together to accomplish a task in the best way possible. Collaboration in my eyes allows for a vast array of new ideas to be formed, and when several minds are working on a project the best solution is more likely to be found. Collaboration is found often in the literary community because many fandoms elaborate on a specific book or series. Thousands of new ideas and fans have extended the world of Harry Potter.
Collaboration can play a role in everyday writing because many people can work on one piece. Several authors can collaborate on a single piece so that it is created in the most efficient way and offers a broad range of ideas. Also in the case of gravestones there are many people involved. Someone creates the plan, another makes the actual stone, and another person installs it. Many people all put in work to a single work of everyday writing. There may be only one rhetor but tons of collaborators.