Journal 6-Maggie Weeks

I would define medium as the way in which something is communicated, similar to genre, but more in the sense as to how it is physically portrayed or communicated to the audience. Medium is important in writing because it effects the genre as well as the way the purpose is portrayed and understood by the audience. In the video, they discuss how medium can be anything from paper in books, to letters, to the internet or even projected images like movies. Wysocki states that, "All page and screen-based texts are visual and their visual elements and arrangements can be analyzed," (p. 124) basically stating that although mediums may not always be physical, they can still be compared to and analyzed in the way that other mediums are such as paper. McLuhan states the idea that the medium is actually more important than the content itself. He uses the example that a hand written idea through the medium of paper is more important and understood than through just speaking the idea to another, making the medium the most important part. He also stresses the idea in the future that technology will be the future of mediums and bring everyone together through easier communication. Wysocki helped me understand that medium isn't the only thing that effects the reader and the purpose of the paper, other facts like font, color and style also affect the readers attention and the way your message may be perceived in a paper.

By determining which genre you would like a piece of work or literature to be, you may first reflect on what kind of medium you would like it to be in order for the reader or audience to understand the genre. For example, if the genre is a letter to a family member, the medium would be a piece of paper, helping determine the genre. Audience also connects to the medium, the author must understand who their audience in to determine what kind of medium they wish to use. If the audience is a bunch of toddlers, it would probably be best to display their ideas in a video rather than on a piece of paper, for them to understand. The author must have knowledge and an understanding to determine what the medium of their work should be to properly display their purpose to the correct audience through the right genre. By considering all of these concepts, I will be able to pick the correct genre of my project to be able to thoroughly portray my ideas and purpose to my audience by having a knowledge of all these factors.