Aesthetics and Microgenres in Digital Writing

 Aesthetics and Microgenres: 

How does Aesthetics and Microgenres redefine digital writing?



Aesthetics: 
Visual Style, Look, Feel, Artistic Approach 
   
Microgenres: 
Niche Genres, Subcultures, Variations

    The digital world is an ever changing world where in a split second a video or image that you post could go viral and change your life as you know it. It has so many shifting forms, where text, images, and sounds all work together to create new expressive forms of communication. At the middle of the this world is the intersection of aesthetics and microgenres. According to Lawrence (2022), "The Internet helps to house a nearly endless number of groups, identities, cultures, and shared interests. It also facilitated the development of new aesthetics, new genres of music, new styles, and new words". 

Aesthetics:

    As far as aesthetics go in the digital world, it is the overall feeling that the reader or watcher experiences with the content. It includes visual design, typography, layout, sound, and even the feel of the interface. Depending upon the content, having a well put together aesthetic atmosphere can be both engaging and unique.

Microgenres: 

    Microgenres are the more specific subcategories within larger categories. This is the area that focuses on a more niche topics and takes a deep dive look into particular interests, aesthetics and subject matter. There is an ever growing world of microgenres in the digital world because writers and their audiences are continually experimenting with new ways to express themselves. 

The Intertwining of Aesthetics and Microgenres:

    We see these in many different forms when it comes to digital writing. One example where we see the intersection is within blogging. In blogging, we find countless aesthetic variations: minimalist designs that prioritize content, visually rich blogs that emphasize imagery, and interactive blogs that engage readers through multimedia elements. Each aesthetic choice reinforces the blog's overall tone and purpose. Even within the realm of social media we see the intertwining of aesthetics and microgenres. The captions that make up tweets, go along with instagram photos or along with tiktok videos have distinct expectations with how they are supposed to appear aesthetically. The relationship between the two are extremely important in creating an impactful social media post. The interplay between aesthetics and microgenres is not merely a matter of style; it’s a strategic tool for writers to connect with their audience

Explore: 

Ultimately, the goal of digital writing is to communicate effectively and engage the audience. By carefully considering the relationship between aesthetics and microgenres, writers can create work that is not only visually appealing but also intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. 


Check out these videos with tips and tricks to help you with your
 👇social media aesthetic and how to appeal to microgenres:👇


 10 Tips for Building Your Social Media Aesthetic


How to Find Your Blog's Niche? 


Reference:

Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital Writing: A Guide to writing for Social        Media and the web. Broadview Press.


 

Comments

  1. Gia ShoresJuly 19, 2024 at 12:28 PM

    Katelyn,

    From your post, the part where you discussed blogging was one of the highlights to me and not just because that is what we are doing right now. Yes, we have read that Lawrence (2022) mentioned that in more recent years, blogs have become more important tools for businesses that want to improve their website traffic. Nonetheless, as you listed, there are countless ways in which both businesses as well as individuals are making their blogs look to achieve their purposes.

    Even though the concept of blogging is not new, as I have become more interested in exploring its use as a second language teacher, I have learned about it in ways that are new to me. For instance, Bal (2021) emphasized that “language teachers should start learning more about how to integrate their classes with Web 2.0 tools and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, like blogs” (p. 595). As I connect this with what you shared in your post about the intertwining of aesthetics and microgenres, I can see why the second language learners and participants from Bal’s (2021) study preferred blogging instead of paper-based activities to use their creativity. I liked that reading these resources opened my mind to new ways of seeing how aesthetics and microgenres impact blogging and how not only can I apply it to my own blog, but as I teach my own students about blogging.

    References

    Bal, S. (2021). An investigation of the integration of blogs into EFL classes: Learners' views toward blogs and preferences for writing classes. Journal of Educational Technology & Online Learning, 4(4), 594-604. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1352279.pdf

    Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital writing: A guide to writing for social media and the web. Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Digital EducatorJuly 20, 2024 at 4:48 PM

    Hi Katelyn!
    I’m sure I’m not the only one whose students have started using the word aesthetic in their normal conversations. They use it to describe a style that is aesthetically pleasing, which tells me they understand design a bit! I learn a lot from listening to their conversations and engaging them in small talk when I can, which helps me develop my own microgenre based on our classroom culture. I really like the idea of our web-based collaboration platforms not only being tools to increase student sharing, collaboration, and inspiration (Sivakumar et al., 2023) but also being their own microgenre for each class, similar to how the physical classroom can be its own microcosm that reflects what is happening in the outside world with a very small lens. Lawrence (2022) wrote that microgenres can have such small detail and require a lot of study or research on the designer’s behalf. This is quite true of classroom culture, isn’t it?
    References
    Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital writing: A guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press.
    Sivakumar, A., Jayasingh, S., & Shaik, S. (2023). Social media influence on students’ knowledge sharing and learning: An empirical study. Educational Sciences 13(7):745. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070745

    ReplyDelete

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