The Nature Of Argument In A Digital World

                           The Nature Of Argument In A Digital World 

     The nature versus nurture debate is something that I’ve always been interested in.   It’s so easy to take either side of this debate because one can say that behavior is determined by the environment.   And from the other perspective one can say that behavior is determined by nature.   Whatever side you’re on, we should all be able to agree that nature is a good origin to start from when you want to understand something.   The beginning of a thing can tell us a lot.   With that said, lets think about the nature of argument in a digital world.   

                       What is the nature of argument in a digital world?   

     In the book, Argument In The Real World , it mentions that co-author Kristen Hawley Turner “experience with this blog post shows, we read arguments every day.   We are inundated by information —and opinions and misinformation —-on our devices, and our students face the same challenges.   For instance, Natalie, a ninth grader who has over seven hundred friends on Facebook, considers her digital reading ‘addicting.’  She spends time reading through the headlines of the news stories that appear on her AOL homepage when she opens her internet browser, and she digs into articles that seem interesting.   According to Natalie, she habitually reads the news before heading to Facebook, where she reads status updates and clicks through links that ‘look kind of interesting.” (Turner & Hicks, 2016, p.17)

   Based on my early readings of this book I understand the nature of argument in a digital world as being birth through the internet.   I say this with confidence because the book mentioned, “we read arguments every day.”   The ninth grader who was quoted being addicted to digital reading spent a lot of time reading through headlines on her AOL page once she opened her internet browser.   She was able to dig through articles that seemed interesting to her because of the internet.   The internet birth these digital capabilities.   We can go to our emails, social media, or any other digital platform because of the internet.   

[A]nyone, anywhere, with access to a smart phone, can mount an argument that can circle the globe in seconds… (Turner & Hicks, 2016)

   

“Any text that we encounter —fiction or nonfiction, print or digital —is at some level representing us with an argument… That said, digital media adds new layers to written arguments.”   (Turner & Hicks, 2016)

Hundred years ago you write a letter and you have to get it sent to the sender if you have the resources.   Once sent you have to wait to get a response back.   The nature of argument in a digital world creates that instant feedback.   This digital component allows for quicker answers to a problem.   

• Readers and writers can now be in conversation with each other regularly 
• We can counter arguments immediately, and those counterarguments cantata the form of 140 characters, a comment in the textbook at the bottom of an article, or an entirely new blog post. 
• We can put texts directly in conversation with each other, quite literally connecting one digital piece to another through links, making our embedded reasoning more (or potentially less) visible.
• We can create a visual argument to combination with —or in lieu of —a written argument. 
• Everyone can and does make public arguments, and those arguments reach far beyond an intended audience.  (Turner & Hicks, 2016, p.17 & 18)

     In these times with digital arguments we can create something very artistic with our words.   By using something as basic as text fonts or different color text to place emphasis on words or phrases.   A hundred years ago you couldn’t create such an eye pleasing letter to someone because society didn’t have that digital component that we have now.   
     The ease of communication can be even more fluent for those who really understand the technical skills thats needed for writing whether its traditional old school or digital arguments.   We now have oral components that we can add to our arguments more easily as well as the video aspects.   All of these capabilities were made possible due to the internet.   
     Kristen also mentioned during the Argument In Real World podcast/blog, “Yes.   Texts are different now because we have hyperlinked text.   In the past, we only had a print-based text, you had that one text and you couldn’t push a button and go to a different text.   Now you can.   One of the things that we did in writing the book, was really think about how links might act as evidence or might provide warrants or underlying assumptions for an argument.”   This digital world has really been a game changer for writers!  
     The other author of the book Argument In The Real World, Troy Hicks mentioned, “Yeah.   Even that one example of the hyperlink is really interesting.  Because on a technical level, it’s fairly simple to teach students how to put a hyperlink into a google document, a blog post, or a Twitter message.   However, in rhetorical level, it’s a lot more difficult to think about, ‘Okay.   Where is that link taking your reader and why would you want your reader to go there?   What do you need to point out to your reader and the words that you choose leading up to that link?” 
     We are living in a very interesting time where we can communicate arguments in a quicker, smarter, and in an even more artistic and expressive way.    Before I complete my writings, I thought it would be only fitting to add some extra media created by Troy Hicks that you can watch after your readings.  Click link below! 

Additional Media On Arguments From The Author!

References

Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read 

and write digital texts. Heinemann. 

Argument In The Real World. (n.d.). [audio blog]. Retrieved from https://blog.heinemann.com/the-heinemann-podcast-argument-in-the-real-world. 

YouTube. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY076qXXDLg&t=60s.