Thinking Globally, Composing Locally.
An Interview with Kirk St. Amant & Rich Rice, by Gustav Verhulsdonck
Culture: Why should we consider the influence of intercultural theory on composition? How is the question of "culture" important for online writing and global contexts as processes?
"The online environment opens the audience for your compositions up to, pretty much, anyone on earth who has access to the Web. So, the potential to share ideas and information and engage in exchanges—discuss ideas—is massive."
-Kirk St. Amant
KIRK:
For me, it's all about realizing and maximizing two interconnected factors:
Factor 1 is scale. The online environment opens the audience for your compositions up to, pretty much, anyone on earth who has access to the Web. So, the potential to share ideas and information and engage in exchanges—discuss ideas—is massive. Think about the potential to better understand uses of social media to shape politics by reading the online compositions of individuals in Iran or in Egypt—persons who used such technologies to engage in radical social change in those societies. Think of what can come from international discussions on how to best contain the spread of infectious diseases if you can engage in web-based conversations among nations affected by the disease and those preparing for it, but not yet affected by it. The potential for meaningful, rich, and (more) comprehensive discussions is huge.
Factor 2 is change. In this case, I'm thinking of agency, I guess. The ability to affect change is often a matter of sharing ideas about what works and what does not (or has not). It can also be a matter of coordinating efforts across individuals in different areas. So, by expanding access into greater global contexts, online media allow us to examine a wider range of perspectives on—and access more examples of—how different approaches worked (or didn't) in relation to creating change involving everything from the environment, to education, to political systems.
"By expanding access into greater global contexts, online media allow us to examine a wider range of perspectives on—and access more examples of—how different approaches worked (or didn't) in relation to creating change involving everything from the environment, to education, to political systems. "
This access also allows us to coordinate our international activities on a scale never before known. Think of what this could mean for trying to push for social or political change both within a nation and internationally. Consider, for example, protesters in one nation—where access to certain information is restricted—obtaining that information via online transmissions from overseas sources. Likewise, consider the previous example of addressing global pandemics and how international online access can allow us to better manage or address such situations. It's pretty mind blowing when you think about it.
The only way to realize these factors, however, is by being able to effectively interact with and exchange ideas with individuals from other cultures. This is only possible if we understand the communication practices and expectations of other cultures. Only through such understanding can we create compositions that will be seen as credible by individuals from other cultures. Only by addressing such factors can we ensure individuals from other cultures will view our ideas, information, and requests as worthy of consideration and worthy of action. This is why an understanding of culture is so essential to thinking about online composing practices today—for one needs to understand, appreciate, and address the rhetorical expectations of an audience in order to effectively engage and interact with that audience.
Top of Page The 3Cs Approach
—webtext & interview by Gustav Verhulsdonck 2017
