Digital rhetoric is a term that was first introduced by Richard A. Lanham in 1989. As a field, it has evolved to encompass the interconnected, collective construction of knowledge, as advocated by Doug Brent, and the integration of hypertext and visual rhetoric, as outlined by Gary Heba. More recently, scholars Douglas Eyman and Angela Haas have highlighted its application in digital texts and its interdisciplinary nature. Digital rhetoric involves the circulation and delivery of rhetoric in participatory cultures and new electronic forms. It also requires critical literacy and interactive skills to identify bias in media and promote interactivity[2] in digital texts. In digital spaces, it involves procedural rhetoric, the impact of visuals, and the modeling of reality and fiction. Finally, it is closely tied to online communities, digital activism[3], influencer marketing[1], and shaping of norms and culture.
This article may be too technical for most readers to understand.(April 2022) |
Digital rhetoric can be generally defined as communication that exists in the digital sphere. As such, digital rhetoric can be expressed in many different forms, including text, images, videos, and software. Due to the increasingly mediated nature of our contemporary society, there are no longer clear distinctions between digital and non-digital environments. This has expanded the scope of digital rhetoric to account for the increased fluidity with which humans interact with technology.
The field of digital rhetoric has not yet become well-established. Digital rhetoric largely draws its theory and practices from the tradition of rhetoric as both an analytical tool and a production guide. As a whole, it can be structured as a type of meta-discipline.
Due to evolving study, digital rhetoric has held various meanings to different scholars over time. Similarly, digital rhetoric can take on a variety of meanings based on what is being analyzed—which depends on the concept, forms or objects of study, or rhetorical approach. Digital rhetoric can also be analyzed through the lenses of different social movements. This approach allows the reach of digital rhetoric to expand our understanding of its influence.
The term "digital rhetoric" differs from the term "rhetoric" because the latter term has been debated amongst many scholars. Only a few scholars like Elizabeth Losh and Ian Bogost have taken the time to come up with a definition for digital rhetoric. One of the most straightforward definitions for "digital rhetoric" is that it is the application of rhetorical theory.