Teaching grounded audiences: Burke’s identification in Facebook and composition

Availableonlineatwww.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

ComputersandComposition39(2016)27–40

Teaching grounded audiences: Burke’s identification in Facebook and composition

Samuel L. Head

^∗

Dept.ofEnglishandPhilosophy,IdahoStateUniversity921S8thAve,Stop8056,Pocatello,ID832098056 Received28May2014;receivedinrevisedform26November2014;accepted4November2015

Availableonline2December2015

Abstract

MorecollegestudentsthaneverareparticipatinginsocialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebookandareengagedincomposing messagestotheirvirtualaudiencethroughthesesites.Compositionscholarshavecontinuedtostressthepotentialthesesiteshave intheiruseincompositionandanalysis.ManyhaverespondedtothiscallinexpandingthepedagogyaboutFacebook’susesin composition,butmoreresearchisneededregardingthetheoryof“transfer”tousestudents’previousexperienceandpriorknowledge withaudienceinsocialmediatohelpthemlearnaudienceawarenessinacademicwriting.Therefore,becauseFacebookandother socialmediasitesdemonstratesomuchusergeneratedtextthatstudentsarefamiliarwith,studentscantransfertheirpriorknowledge withaudienceawarenessandappealonsocialmediatoformalandacademicwriting.Facebookusersconsciouslyorunconsciously appealtoaspecificaudience,theirfriends.RhetoricianKennethBurkedescribedthisinteractionasidentification.Hedescribedhow individualswillpersuadetheiraudienceby“identifying”withthemincertainways.IclaimFacebookcanbeusedincomposition toaccomplish“highroad”transferwithwhatstudentsalreadyknowaboutfriendsanduserprofilestoteachthemaboutaudience awarenessandappealthroughBurke’sidentificationtheory.ByimplementingstrategiesofKennethBurke’srhetoricalidentification, studentscanbetterunderstand,analyze,andappealtotheirpotentialaudiencesinboththeirsocialnetworking,intheiracademic writing,andintheireverydaycommunication.

©2015ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.

Keywords: Socialmedia;Identification;Facebook;socialnetworking;KennethBurke;Audienceawareness;Transfer;Rhetoricalanalysis

PerhapsthereasonIstudysocialmediaisbecauseoftheinordinateamountoftimeIendupspendingonFacebook browsingmynewsfeedorconnectingwithfriends.ButInoticethatFacebookseemstocultivateitsusersinrhetorical practicesastheymaneuverinit,expandingitsabilitytobeminedforpedagogicalapplications.Iseesocialmedia’s potentialinpedagogygrowingwiththewideexpansionofsocialnetworks.Facebookitselfhas“announcedthatbythe endof2011therehadbeen100billionfriendconnections,andinrecentmonthsusershadbeenregistering2.7billion LikesandCommentsperday”(“Facebook,”2014,Description,para.10).Tome,thesedailyconnectionsconstitutethe rhetoricandcomposition,multimodalortextual,thatusersareexercisingtoveryrealaudiences.Compositionscholars havecalledformorefocusonthisdigitalrhetorictotakeplaceinorderutilizethepotentialfoundwithinthisdigital communication(Lanham,1995;Faigley,1997;Selfe,1999;Wysocki,Johnson-Eiola,Selfe,&Sirc,2004;Hawisher&

∗Correspondingauthor.

E-mailaddress:headsamu@isu.edu http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2015.11.006 8755-4615/©2015ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.

Selfe,2004;Clark,2010;Maranto&Barton,2010).KathleenYancey(2009),apastpresidentoftheNationalCouncil ofTeachersof English(NCTE),asserted,“We canandshouldrespond tothesenewcomposings andnewsitesof composingswithnewenergyandanewcomposingagenda”(p.7).Thereisaneedtoresearchthepotentialthisonline communityhasofencouragingthetransferof rhetoricalprincipleswithinFacebookusingstudents.Thesestudents routinelycomposemessagestoandidentifywithspecificaudiences.Facebook’scompositionalandrhetoricalcontent canopendoorsfornewmethodsofwritinginstructionandnewwaystointegratenewmediaintheclassroom.

Specifically,researchintothetransferofrhetoricalconceptswithinFacebooktoacademicwritingstillneedsdevel- opment.Manyscholars,suchas Deborah Balzhiser etal.(2011),DavidCoad(2013),JaneFife (2010),Courtney Patrick(2013),JenniferSwartz(2013),LindsaySabatino (2014),andStephanieVie(2009)aswellasothers,have respondedtothiscallinexpandingthepedagogyaboutFacebook’susesincomposition.Withintheacademicjournals ComputersandComposition,Kairos,ComputersandCompositionOnline,andPedagogy,aswellasothers,therehave beenarticlesonteachingpersonacreation,rhetoricalanalysis,andcriticalthinkinginthecompositionclass.Never- theless,thepedagogyoftransferwithstudents’previousexperienceandpriorknowledgeofaudienceinsocialmedia requiresmorescholarlyanalysis.Manystudentsalreadyhavemuchtransferableexperiencewithrhetoricalinteraction onFacebook.This“transfer”isessentialwithinpedagogicalpractices.TheNationalResearchCouncil’svolumeof HowPeopleLearn:Mind,Brain,Experience,andSchool(2000)arguedthatall“newlearninginvolvestransferbased onpreviouslearning”(Bransford, Pellegrino,&Donovan,p.53).Specific waystoenacttransfersometimesneed detailedpraxis. PerkinsandSalomon(1992),for example,explainedthat dynamic “highroad” transfercanoccur whenstudentsabstractprinciplesandskillsfromonecontextandapplythemtoanother(p.25).Suchapedagogy wouldenablecompositionstudentstoutilizetheprinciplestheyarepracticingonFacebookinothercommunication scenarios.Thispaperestablishesarhetoricaltheoryasaframeworkfortransferringstudents’audienceawarenessand appealfromFacebooktoacademic discourse.With thistheoreticalfoundation,PerkinsandSalomon’s“highroad”

transfercanenablemorestudentstoapplyFacebook’sskillstocomposition.

IarguethatbecauseFacebookandothersocialmediasitesdemonstratesomuchusergeneratedtextandcommu- nicationthatstudentsare familiarwith,thesesitescanbe usedas abridge torhetorical analysis,particularlywith audienceawarenessandappeal.Recentresearchhasdemonstratedthevariousanddetailedkindsrhetoricalpractices thatFacebookusersengagein(Grosseck,Bran,&Tiru,2011).Facebookusersconsciouslyorunconsciouslyappealto variousspecificaudiences,includingtheirfriends.LindsaySabatino(2014)hasassertedthat“Thesedigitallyliterate peoplequicklymovebetweenvariousmediumsknowinghowtopresentdifferentinformationthroughthesemediums tobestreachtheirdesiredaudiences”(para.1).

KennethBurkedescribedthisinteractionasidentification.Heexplainedhowindividualswillpersuadeandconnect totheiraudienceby“identifying”withthemincertainways;asaresult,histheoryisofparticularrelevanceamong networkingFacebookusers.IclaimthatFacebookcanbeusedinteachingcompositiontotransferwhatstudentsknow aboutfriends anduserprofiles toteachthem aboutaudience awarenessandappeal throughBurke’s identification theory.ByidentifyingBurke’sidentificationwithintheirownsocialmediauses,studentswillbeabletoapplythose principleswithintheiracademicwriting.

ByimplementingstrategiesofKennethBurke’srhetoricalidentification,studentscanbetterunderstand,analyze, andappealtotheirpotentialaudiencesinboththeirsocialnetworking,intheiracademicwriting,andintheireveryday communication.Iwilldiscuss therationale behindusingFacebookas arhetorical platform,demonstratethe digi- talimperative,andexplainhowFacebookcantransferaudienceawarenessthrough Burke’sidentificationtheoryto composition,givingsomepracticalclassroomactivities.

1. Descriptionandrationale:Facebookasanintegralpartofthedigitalimperative 1.1. Thedigitalimperative

Whilecomposition andcomputer scholars (Lanham, 1995; Faigley, 1997; Selfe, 1999; Wysocki et al., 2004, Hawisher&Selfe,2004;Yancey,2009;Clark, 2010;Maranto&Barton, 2010)havelongcalledfor greater study totakeplacewithindigitalrhetoric,theinclusionoftransfertheoryandidentificationcreatesnewpedagogicalmeth- odsusingthesecomputermediatedspacesforteachingstudentswritingandrhetoric.Citingthislackofpedagogical studywithincomputersandcompositionliterature,Selfe(1999)argued,“We...needadditionalresearchonhowvar- ioustechnologiesinfluenceliteracyvaluesandpracticesandresearchonhowteachersmightbetterusetechnologies

tosupportawiderangeofliteracygoalsfordifferentpopulations”(p.431).EchoingSelfe’sargumenttenyearslater, KathleenYancey(2009)asserted:

Today,inthe21stcentury,peoplewriteasneverbefore—inprintandonline.Wethusfacethreechallengesthat arealsoopportunities:developingnewmodelsofwriting;designinganewcurriculumsupportingthosemodels;

andcreatingmodelsforteachingthatcurriculum....Itistimeforustojointhefutureandsupportallformsof 21stcenturyliteracies,insideschoolandoutsideschool....Thisisacalltoaction,acalltoresearchandarticulate newcomposition.(p.1)

Although thiscalltoactionincludesallkinds oftechnology-mediatedwriting,Yanceyspecificallynoted social networkingsites.WithinthereportYanceyusedanexampleofhighschoolstudentswhousedFacebooktoenormous persuasive effect. Shesaid that“these studentsunderstandthe powerof networking.. ..[T]he studentsunderstood thenewaudiencesof twenty-firstcenturycomposing....[W]ecanimaginethewayswemightchannel thisenergy for acausemoreserious,forapurposemoreworthy”(p.6).Yancey’sreportdealtwithdigitalrhetoricingeneral, butherexampleshownheredemonstratedthatFacebookspecificallyisrecognizedashavinggreatpotentialtoteach composition.

Yancey’scallhasemphasizedtheexpediencyofnewpedagogieswithindigitalrhetoric.Elizabeth Clark(2010) expoundedonYancey’sreport,“Thispublicationmarksadistinctlyneweraofcomputersandcomposition—achal- lengetoarticulatehowtechnologyisradicallytransformingourunderstandingofauthorsandauthorityandtocreate powerfulnewpracticestoconvergewiththisnewdigitalworld”(p.27).Shewentontodescribethatthefutureof ourcompositionshallbebasedontheworldwide,collaborative,andpublicnatureofourtexts,andthatthisshould constructa“‘digitalimperative’thatshouldincludetechnologywithincompositionteachingpractices.”Sheasserted,

“Todaythe compositionclassroomshould immersestudents inanalyzingdigital media” (p.28).The inclusionof transfertheoryandidentificationwithincomputersandcompositionrealizesthiscallandimplementstherhetorical analysisofthisdigitalcomposition.

Withindigitalmediaresearchforcomposition,socialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebookhavespecificallyreceived attention.Compositionscholars(Grossecketal.,2011;Sabatino,2014;Maranto&Barton,2010)havenoticedhow thesesitesprovidemuchthatcanbemadeuseofwithintheclassroom.StephanieVie(2008)hasexploredtheuseof sitessuchasFacebookandMyspace:

Iarguethatcompositioninstructorsmustcontinuetoattendtotheradicalchangesinwritingandwritinginstruc- tionwroughtbynetworkedcomputers...studentsarealreadyengagedinproductionactivitiesinonlinesocial networkingsites,andifwehopetoassiststudentsinsignificantwayswiththeirwritings,wemustengagein theirproductionmethods....Thetimehascome,then,forustopayattentiontoonlinesocialnetworkingsitesso thatwecaneffectivelyteachtechnologicalliteracyinthewritingclassroomandattendtothedeepeningdigital dividebetweenGenerationMstudentsandtheirinstructors.(p.11)

ScholarssuchasViehavealsorecognizedthepotentialthatFacebookandothersocialmediasiteshaveinteaching studentsaboutrhetoricandcomposition.Even thoughthesetechnologieshavenotbeenaroundforlong(Facebook since2004[“CompanyInfo,”Timeline]),thedemandforin-depthresearchhasbeenmadeknown.

1.2. WhyFacebook?

Statisticsshowthat Facebookisamajorcommunicationandcomposingsourcenotonlyamongmillionsofthe generalpublic,butmorespecificallyamongthecollegestudentpopulation.Facebook(2014)hasannouncedthatthey nowhavemorethan“1.35billionmonthlyactiveusers...[andmorethan]864milliondailyactiveusers”(“Company Info,”Statistics).AstudydoneamongcollegeundergraduatesintheUnitedStatesfoundthatover90%ofstudentsuse Facebookasacommunicationtool.Alsomostundergraduates(58%)useFacebookmorethanonceperday(Dahlstrom, deBoor,Grunwald,&Vockley,2011,p.13).ThesestatisticsdemonstratetherelevancethatFacebookhasinstudents’

life,makingitamodelartifactforanalysisthatmorestudentswouldbealreadyfamiliarwith.Consequently,thissocial mediasitewillbeabletoservemorestudentsinlearningaudienceawarenessandappealbybeingmoreaccessibleand wellknown.

Facebook’susesarewidespread,butitespeciallyincludeswrittenandmultimodalcommunication.EvenFacebook (2014)declareditsmissiontobe“togivepeoplethepowertoshareandmaketheworldmoreopenandconnected.

PeopleuseFacebooktostayconnectedwithfriendsandfamily,todiscoverwhat’sgoingonintheworld,andtoshare andexpresswhatmatterstothem”(“CompanyInfo,”Mission).Facebookusers“express”invariousmultimodalforms, creatingincrediblesumsofdigitalcommunication.Infact,theuser-generatedmaterialamountstoover½apetabyte, or500milliongigabytesperday(Sharwood,2012).Thiscompositionofmessagesprovidesmuchoftheinteraction thatoccursonFacebook.Withsomuchcreatingandinterpersonalcontacttakingplace,Facebookisanartifactworthy ofrhetoricalanalysis.

ButteachingcompositionwithFacebookrequiresmorethanjustexplainingthedigitalimperativeanddemonstrating Facebook’saccessibilityandpopularity.Thequestionof“how”needsaddressing.AsYancey(2009)wondered,“In otherwords,thesestudentsknowhowtocompose,andtheyknowhowtoorganize,andtheyknowaudience.How canwebuildonallthatknowledge?Howcanwehelpthemtoconnect[theirskills]tolargerissues?”(p.6).Hereis wherethepedagogyoftransfercanuseKennethBurke’stheoryofidentificationtoshowhowFacebookcantransfer compositionstudents’priorknowledgeofFacebooktoteachaudienceawarenessinacademicwriting.

2. Validation:Thepedagogyoftransfer

Tosuccessfullybuilduponstudent’spriorknowledgewithinsocialmedia,transfertheorymustserveasabasisfor pedagogicalpractices.Thus,thesecondtheorythatinformsmyworkisPerkinsandSalomon’s(1988)pedagogical

“highroad”transfer.They describedhighroadtransferasdependingon“deliberatemindfulabstractionof skillor knowledgefromonecontexttoapplicationinanother”(p.25).Withincompositionstudies,muchofthediscussion abouttransferrevolvesaroundtransferringwhatthestudentlearnedincompositiontootherfields,disciplines,and careers(Smit,2004;Rounsaville,2012;Wardle,2007,tonameafew).However,apedagogicalsteppriortotransferring knowledgefromcompositionismakingsurethatstudentsaretransferringknowledgeandexperiencetocomposition.

Withoutstudentslearningfromcomposition,therewillbenoknowledgeorskillstotransfertoanyfuturecontexts;prior knowledgeandpracticeisthenwhatmustbefocusedontohelpstudentslearncompositionalpractices.Robertson, Taczak,andYancey (2012)defined their viewof transferas “adynamic activity through whichstudents,like all composers,activelymakeuseofpriorknowledgeastheyrespondtonewwritingtasks”(p.1).Withtheoverwhelming amountthatstudentscomposeinsocialmedia,thesesitesservetoprovidetransferableknowledgeandpraxisthat studentsalreadyhavetocompositionandrhetoric.

Becausetransfertheoryissuchabroadpedagogicalmethod,therearemanydifferentavenuesofapplication.For example,Perkinsand Salomon(1988)made the distinctionbetween “highroad” and“lowroad” transferandthe implicationsbothhaveuponteaching.Lowroadtransfercanbeexemplifiedbyonepersonlearningcookingskillsat homeandthenapplyingtheminanewcontextsuchasarestaurantorinacollegedorm.Lowroadonlyrequiresthe automaticsuperficialresponseofbeingputinaslightlydifferentscenario.Incontrast,PerkinsandSalomonexplained thathighroadtransfer“alwaysrequiresreflectivethoughtinabstractingfromonecontextandseekingconnectionsin another”(p.26).Inotherwords,ifthescenariooneistransferringknowledgetoisdifferentenoughfromtheprior scenario,itrequiresametaphysicalunderstandingfortransfertooccur.

Applyingidentificationtotransferknowledgeandskillsfromsocialmediatoacademicwritingmustinvolvespecif- icallyhighroadtransfer.BecauseFacebookandthecollegeessayaretoodifferentofcontextstouselowroadtransfer, studentsmustidentifyandabstractidentificationconceptswithinFacebooktoapplythemtothedifferentcontextof moreformalcomposition.Whenusingsocialmediaintheclassroom,transfershouldserveasthepedagogicaltheory uponwhichinstructionisbased.Byapplyingtheconceptofhighroadtransfer,studentscanactivatethepriorknowl- edgetheyhavefromsocialmediainordertoapplyittoacademicwriting.Withouttransfer,socialmediabecomesjust anotherinformationsource,disconnectedfromanypriorskillsdevelopedinitssphere.

3. FacebookinthecompositionclassandBurke’sIdentificationTheory 3.1. ResearchonFacebookinthecompositionclass

ThoughmanycomputersandwritingscholarshaveprovidedwaysinwhichtouseFacebook,nonedirectlyapplied the theory of transfer.The sources that do detail practical uses of Facebook providedan adequate beginning for classroomuse,someimpliedtransfertheory,butwithoutitsfullinclusion.DavidCoad(2013),StephanieVie(2009), CourtneyPatrick(2013),JenniferSwartz(2013),DeborahBalzhiseretal.(2011),LindsaySabatino(2014),andJane

Fife(2010)inparticularhavediscussedthepedagogicaluseofFacebookinpracticaldetail.Mostofthembroughtup personacreationandaudienceawarenessaspossibleapplicationsintheirclassroompractices.

Although it is generally acknowledged amongthese scholars that students learn usefulskills from Facebook, transfer’sdirectimplementationhasnotbeenrealized.However,itstracesareoftenembeddedwithinthepracticesthat thesescholarsexplain.DavidCoad(2013),forexample,arguedthat“[interactingonFacebook]helpsstudentsseehow communicationworksinreal,liverhetoricalsituations....Ifound[myinstructionalpractices]usefulforhelpingthem acknowledgetheskillstheyarebuildinginthesewritingspaces”(Students’CriticalThinking,para.2).Buildingupon theideathatFacebookisarhetoricallyengagedplatform,CourtneyPatrick(2013)defendedthenotionofaudience awarenesstakingplacewithinFacebook:

Withtheirparticularaudienceandthechosenvaluesinmind,student-usersofFacebookdecidewhatinformation topostandmakepresentonadailybasisinanefforttoacceptandadherethosevalues.Whetherthroughastatus update,aphotoupload,oralistoffavoritemovies,student-usersareconstantlychoosingbetweenwhattoshow andhowtoshowitinordertogainapprovalfromtheirparticularaudience.(PartII,para.1)

ThesescholarsunderstoodtheimportancethatFacebookhasinbuildingrhetoricalknowledgeandskill.Acommon threadthatallofthementionedarticlessharedwastheuseofFacebooktoserveasaplatformforrhetoricalanalysis.

AsIwillshowlaterinthisarticle, Facebook,beingacommunicationrichenvironment,engenderstheapplication ofmanydifferentrhetoricalprinciplesandstyles.BothJenniferSwartz(2013)andJaneFife(2010)mentionedthis applicabilityandarguedthatsuchapplicationisonereasonwhyFacebookisgoodtostudyincomposition.Inmentioning hermotivationforusingFacebook,Swartzexplained,“Tohelpstudentsseethewaysinwhichwritingisrelevantto theireverydaylives...IintroduceFacebookandMySpacetotheclassroomwherewelookatthesesocialnetworking sitesasrhetoricaltexts”(Introduction).Facebooknotonlyallowsstudentstopracticerhetoricalanalysis,butitalso providesconnectionsbetweenwhatstudentsarelearningintheclassroomandwhattheyarewritingoutsideit.

Anelementstillneeded inmostofthesearticlesistheapplicationof atheoreticalbackgroundthatwouldshow studentswhattolookforandtransferfromFacebooktotheiracademicwriting.Alsoneededismorestudyregarding thehowtransfercanhelptapintostudents’priorknowledge.Thetheoreticalframeworkisthenecessaryabstraction requiredin“highroad”transfer,helpingstudentstobridgethegapfromsocialmediatoformalwriting.Inapplyinga theoreticalframeworktherhetoricalanalysiswouldleadtoactualrhetoricalpracticeofapplicableprinciplesandskills.

Therefore,IwillshowhowKennethBurke’sidentificationtheoryprovidedsuchatheoreticalframeworkfromwhich studentscantransferspecificelementsofaudienceawarenessandappeal,namelythetechniquesofidentification,from Facebooktoacademicwriting.

3.2. Burke’sTheoryofIdentification

KennethBurke’sidentificationtheoryrestructuredcommunicationwiththefocusonconnectingwiththeaudience.

Burke(1951)calledhisideasthe“new”rhetoricasopposedtherhetoricproposedbytheclassicphilosopherssuchas Aristotle.Heargued,“thekeytermforthe‘old’rhetoricwas‘persuasion’anditsstresswasupondeliberatedesign.

Thekeyforthe‘new’rhetoricwouldbe‘identification,’whichcanincludeapartiallyunconsciousfactorinappeal”

(p.203).IdentificationhasalwaysremainedakeyterminBurke’sexplanationsof rhetoric.Withoutthisapproach, understandingtheimportanceofaudienceappealandawarenesswouldbelessrealized.DennisDay(1960)argued that “Burke’sapproachissignificant notbecauseheregardsidentificationasameansofachievingpersuasion,but becauseheregardsitastheonlymeansofachievingpersuasion”(p.273).Thussaid,identificationremainssignificant inteachingcompositionstudentsaboutaudiencebecauseofhowcrucialaudienceistothismethodincommunication andpersuasion.

Identification,accordingtoBurke(1953),revolvedaroundarhetor“identifying”withanaudience.Hedescribed thatbecausewearealldividedintoseparatebeings,andbecauseourlanguagemakesusfurtherdivided,weseekto identifyonewithanotherandbridgethisdivision.Thisidentificationinvolvedfinding“substance”thatthetwoparties have(orassumetohave)incommon.Thissubstancecanbeanykindofpropertiesthatmayexistamongpeople.As thiscommonsubstanceisrevealed,Burkesaidthatthepartiesare“consubstantial.”Themoreanindividualcanshow thattheyandtheirideasandargumentsareconsubstantialwiththeiraudience,themoreidentificationoccursandthe morepersuasivethatindividualis.Therefore,identificationispersuasivebecauseitbridgesdivision(Burke,1953,pp.

20-22,55).

Inbasicterms,thisidentificationisawayoflookingataudienceawarenessandappeal.Becausepersuasioncenters oncommunicationtoaknownandspecificaudience,therhetormustfindawaytoappealtothem.Burke’smethodof identificationdemonstratedhowappealingtoanaudiencebyidentifyingwiththemresultsinpersuasion.Burke(1953) describedhistheoryfurther:

Hereisperhapsthesimplestcaseofpersuasion.Youpersuadeamanonlyinsofarasyoucantalkhislanguage byspeech,gesture,tonality,order,image,attitude,idea,identifyingyourwayswithhis....Andyougivethe

“signs”ofsuchconsubstantialitybydeferencetoanaudience’s“opinions.”Fortheorator,followingAristotle andCicero,willseektodisplaytheappropriate“signs”ofcharacterneededtoearntheaudience’sgoodwill.

True,therhetoricianmayhavetochangeanaudience’sopinioninonerespect;buthecansucceedonlyinsofaras heyieldstothataudience’sopinionsinotherrespects.(pp.55-56)

Burkeshowedtheimportanceofaudienceawarenessinpersuasion,andhowidentificationisthekeyforaddressing audience.Whatisnecessarythenistounderstandhowindividualscan“talk[theiraudience’s]language”and“display theappropriate‘signs’ofcharacter.”Anaudienceismorelikelytogoalongwithandbepersuadedbyanideathat isalignedtotheirowninterests,values,andgoals.Whenrhetorsidentifytheirmessagewiththeiraudience,theycan encouragetheaudiencetoacceptwhatisbeinggivenbecausewhatisofferedalreadyfits whattheaudiencemight want.

Identificationdoesnothavetobeconsciousoreventruetooccur;theaudienceneedsonlytoassumetheidentification isreal.Burke(1953)explainedthatthrough“ingenious”identificationindividualsmightidentifywiththeiraudience withoutrealizingit,“thereisawiderangeofwayswherebytherhetoricalmotive,throughtheresourcesofidentification, canoperatewithoutconsciousdirectionbyanyparticularagent”(p.35).BrookeQuigley(1998)reasonedthat“Burke encouragesustolookatprocessesthataresemi-conscious,lessthanobvious,mundane,andrepresentative”(p. 1) Individualsarenotalwaysfullyawareoftheidentificationthattheydo,butidentificationstilloccursonasubconscious level.Also,cunningidentificationoccurswhentheindividualattemptstoidentifyinfalseways.Thisideawasdeveloped byLawrenceRosenfeld(1969):“Theidentificationiscunningbecauseitdoesnotactuallyexist,butisonlycreatedto achieveadesiredend”(p.182).Persuasioncanstillbeeffectiveintheseinstancesbecausetheaudiencebelievesthe identificationisreal.Rosenfeldargued,“Inthe...casementionedbyBurke,whereAassumeshesharesacommon interestwithB,thereisstillasharingofacommonelement.WhetherAdoescontaintheelementofinterestorwhether heassumeshecontainstheelement,theeffectofsharinganelementisthesame”(p.178).

Within identification,there are several overlapping sources from whichidentification is pulled from. Stephen Littlejohn(1992)explainedthreeoftheminhis studyofBurke:material,idealistic,andformal.Heexplainedthat

“Materialidentificationresultsfromgoods,possessions,andthings.”Thissourcedrewfromthephysicalthingsand statuses of the parties.He continued,“Idealistic identification results fromideas, attitudes, feelings, andvalues.”

Standardsand beliefs that aparty hadalso are included in thissource. The finalsource stemmed from different associations:“Formalidentificationresultsfromtheformorarrangementoftheact”(p.180).This“act”canusuallybe drawnfromassociationfromthesamegroupsoreventsthatthepartiesshared.Asindividualsdrewfromthesesources, theycouldusethemtoshowtheyareconsubstantialwiththeiraudienceandpersuadethemwiththeirmessage.These sourcescantakeavarietyofshapesaswillbeshownlater.

Thestrategiesforassociatingthesharedelementstoachieveidentificationincludethecomprehensivelistofclassical rhetoricalmethodsthatmostcompositionistsarefamiliarwith,buttheycanfallunderlargercategoriesthatarespecific toidentification.GeorgeCheney(1983)arguedthattherearethreemainstrategiesthatcanbederivedfromBurke:“1.

Thecommongroundtechnique....2.Identificationthroughantithesis....3.Theassumedortranscendent‘we”’(p.

148).Thefirststrategyinvolvedthebasicmethodoflocatingwhatthetwopartieshave,believe,orthinkincommon.

Thesecondmethodrequiredthe“actofunitingagainstacommonenemy”(p.148),orthattheindividuallocatedan entityorideathatbothfindtobeagainstthemortheirbeliefs.Thethirdtechniquecoveredtheuseoftheword“we”

toconnectdisparateparties.“We”anditsotherforms,alongwith“they”identifiedtheindividualwiththeiraudience insomecommongroupwiththesamegoals,values,andsuch.Thesestrategiesencompassedmanyothers,butasa frameworktheyservedtoimplementidentificationwell.Theydonotreplacetheclassicalargumentstrategies,butthey aremeanttoenhancethedirectappealtotheaudience.Whenidentifyingwithanaudience,thesetoolswillfunction topersuadethataudienceoftheconsubstantialitybetweentheindividualandtheiraudience.

AlthoughKennethBurke’stheories areseveraldecades old,his discussionofidentificationremainsparticularly relevant,especiallytodayinaworldwithsomuchonlinesocialmedia.OrganizationssuchastheRhetoricalSocietyof

AmericausedBurke’sidentificationasthethemeofits2012conferenceandaskedpresenterstoponderidentification

“asaplaceofperpetualreframingthataffectswho,how,andwhatcanbethought,spoken,written,andimagined”(as qtdinBallif,2014,p.1).Itisapparentthatidentificationremainsastructuralpieceofcontemporaryrhetoric,andas such,itbecomesaprincipalmethodforstudentstolearnandpractice.GregoryClark(1997)hasalsoemphasizedthe importanceofteachingcompositionstudentsthetheoryofidentificationinhisarticle“KennethBurke,Identification, andRhetorical Criticisminthe WritingClassroom.” He explainedthat by teachingstudentstousethisrhetorical method,theywouldbecomemoreunderstandingofthewaythatappealsaremadetoaudiences,andthatthismethod

“suggests theshapeofapedagogythat embedswriting inreadingandreadinginwritingand, asit doesso,holds writersandreadersalikeaccountableforwhat‘follows”’(para.13).Identificationremainsausefultoolforstudents touseinrhetoricalanalysisandpractice.

Thoughthereareotherrhetoricaltheoriesofaudienceawareness,thistheoryisalreadyheavilyincorporatedinsocial media.InrelationtoFacebookMackey(2012)declared“thecommunityofFacebook...validatesKennethBurke’s theoriesofdramatism,symbolicaction,andtheconceptoflanguageasthekeytocreatingtheworldasweknowit”

(para.1).ThecommunicationhappenshereandBurke’sidentificationisparticularlyrelevantaspeopleconnecttoeach otherandpostcontentfortheiraudiences.ThisvalidationisapparentasFacebookusersconsciouslyorunconsciously useidentificationintheirdailyonlineinteractionwiththiswebsite.Thefollowingsectionoutlineshowidentification existswithinthecommunicationmanystudentsdoonFacebook.

3.3. Facebookasalocusofidentification

TheapplicationoftheprinciplesofidentificationcanbedemonstratedandtaughtwithintheconfinesofFacebook.

As asource for community interaction anddiscourse, there is persuasion that takes place, bothconsciously and unconsciously,andthatpersuasionhappensthroughidentificationwithanindividual’sfriendgroup.Iwilldiscussthe impactofEliPariser’s(2011)“filterbubble”andwillexplorethehowidentificationcanoccurwithinFacebookbefore proceedingtowardsafewpracticalwaysinwhichthistheorymaybeusedtotransferFacebookknowledgetoaudience awareness.

Similartoidentification,Facebookitselfpromotesthereceptionoflike-mindedideas.EliPariser(2011)described thisasthe“filterbubble”orbasicallythealgorithmsthatFacebookusestotrackuserinterestsinordertodisplaythe mostrelevantpostsanduploads.Facebookanalyzesthe“likes,”“comments,”and“shares”thatusersdoaswellas everythingandeveryonetheyclickon.Afterthat,thealgorithmsworktodisplaythethingstheythinkaremostrelevant totheirinterestsintheirnewsfeed.Theflipsideisthatifauserisnotpostinganduploadingcontentthattheirfriends like,thentheymightstarttodisappearfromtheirfriends’newsfeeds.Inaway,the“filterbubble”iswhatstudentslive withastheyuseFacebook,andEliParisersuggestedthatbecauseFacebookalterstheusers’receptionofinformation, thenow-personalizedfiltermaydistortwhatisactuallyimportanttosee(20).Thisinturnmaytheaffectaudience awarenessthatstudentsalreadyhave.BecauseoftheirfilteredexperienceonFacebooktheycouldbeunawareofthe complexityittakestoappealtoanaudience.Thedifferencewithidentificationisthatstudentslearnhowtoidentify anaudience’sinterestswithamessagethatmightdiffermorethanwhatanalgorithmwouldnormallyallow.Thisis wheretransfertheoryapplies.AlthoughFacebookprogramstoonlyshowthemessageswherethereissharedinterest, andthisiswherestudents’previousexperienceunderstandingmaystartout,studentswilllearnidentificationinthe classroom. Theywill thentransferandadapttheir basicskillsinaudienceawarenesstoidentifyingmorecomplex messageswiththeiraudiencewithinacademicwriting.

WithinFacebook,eachpersonconsciouslyor unconsciouslytriestoidentifywiththeirfriendgroup.Theypost, comment,share,or“like”thingsthatareassumedtobesharedwiththeirfriends.Althoughnoteveryonewhoposts something toFacebookautomatically thinksabout howtoidentify withtheir audience,thethoughts of producing materialthat isappealingtotheirfriends dooccur.In anycase, Burke(1951)discussed howanindividual canbe unconscioustotheirrhetoricalmoves.

Facebook’smissionstatement, mentioned earlier,impliedBurke’s identification.Within the statementthe only wordsrepeatedwere“share”and“connect.”Thesetwowordsautomaticallyinvolvemorethanoneperson.Obviously, aFacebookuserwill“connect”withtheirfriends(theiraudience),andwill“share”withand“express”tothataudience.

Implicitwithinthismissionistheideaofidentifyingwithanaudience.AsBurkeargued,becauseallindividualssuffer fromdivision—hecalledit“guilt”—theyseekoutconsubstantiality,whichmeans“shared”properties,andthisoccurs astheypost,upload,comment,and“like”witheachotheronFacebook.Facebookusersseektopresentaprofilethat

appealstotheirfriendgroup.Noteveryinstanceofidentificationisameanstopersuadeanaudiencetoanend,but oftenidentificationisanenditself.Identificationmaynothappeninahyper-rhetoricalmindset,andeachperson’s profilemightnotbeentirelytruthful,butthoseprofilesstillrepresenttheattemptsofidentification.

3.4. FacebookIdentificationExamples

ThewaysinwhichanindividualcanidentifyusingFacebookaremany.However,inordertogetabetterideaofhow suchidentificationcanoccur,IwillshowananonymousexampleFacebookuser,JohnDoe(namehasbeenchanged), andhispublicposts.JohnDoeusedBurke’sstrategyoffindingcommongroundalotonFacebook.Whenlooking athiscoverpicture,therewasanimageofapopularMormontempleinManti,Utah.Thisimagecoincidedwithhis timelinethatshowedthathehadseveralpostsfromacclaimedleadersaswellasotherpopularreligiousimagesfrom thatorganization.Byusingthepicturesandpostsofhisreligiousaffiliation,Johnidentifiedwithhisfriendswhowere predominantlypartofthesamereligion.Hewasusinghisidealisticidentificationtoshowhowheespousedthesame ideals,values,anddoctrinesasthosefriends,creatingcommongroundwiththem.

Alsowithcommonground,JohnuploadedspecificphotosandpersonalartworkonFacebook.BecauseJohnshared aninterestinfantasywithmanyofhisfriends,hepostedimagesbasedonthekindsofthingshisfriendsidentifiedwith thatinterest.Manyofhispictureswereofwizards,dwarves,andadventurersfromfantasystories.Healsoreferenced fantasyrole-playinggamesandTolkien/Jacksonportrayalsofhobbits.HisprofilepicturewasofVitruvius,awizard fromthenewandpopularLegoMovie,whichshowedhisfantasyconnectiontoastockmentor/wizardfrompopular culture.Hissourceforthisconsubstantialitywasmaterialidentification,whichwasidentifiedbasedonthephysical itemsthatheliked.Hisfriendsrespondedtothesewiththeirown“likes”andcommentsofhisphotosandartwork.

AnothermethodthatJohnusedtoidentifywithhisFacebookfriendswasthatof“antithesis.”Manypeoplefrom hisfriendsgrouphadstrongviewsonmandatedhealthcare,andsotorespondtothiscommondislike,Johnposteda statusupdatedisparagingrecenthealthcarelegislation.Sureenough,hisfriendsrespondedwith“likes”andcomments abouthowtheyfoundthepostwell-timed.Johnusedhisshareddisliketounitewithhisfriendsagainstthe“common enemy.”Thisformofinteractionalsodemonstratedidealisticidentificationbecausethepersonsinvolvedhadthesame valuesandbeliefsinregardstohealthcare.

Johnsometimesusedthetranscendent“we”asaneffectivestrategytoidentifywithhisfriendsonFacebook.He postedastatusupdatereferencingNaNoWriMo(NationalNovelWritingMonth)andhisdesiretofollowsomeofhis friendswhowerealsoparticipatinginwritingtheirownnovels.Throughthispost,hereachedoutandidentifiedwith hisfriendswhowerealsoparticipatinginthemonth-longevent.Hispost,thoughnotactuallyusingthepluralpronoun

“we,”impliedthathisreadershipwasfamiliarwiththesubjectofthemessage,whichcreatedasenseofcommunal knowledgethattranscendedhisfriendsonFacebook,whoidentifiedhimasaconnectedmemberofthisgroup.This kindofconsubstantialityalsodrewfromformalidentificationbyusingasitssourceaneventthatJohnandsomefriends weremutuallyinterestedin.

JohnDoe’sFacebookprofilehadmanymoreposts,shares,uploads,andlikesthatwerealsohighlyinvestedinthe conceptof identification,butforthe sakeof spaceIhaveonlyincluded thesefewinstances.Fromthese, wegeta feelforafewmeansofapplyingidentificationtheorywithinFacebook.Facebookprovidesmanymorewaysthanthe onesdemonstratedwithinthisanonymouspagetoidentifywithanaudience.Thesemethodsareusedallthetimeby Facebookmembers,andwithinFacebook,friendsarealwaystryingtoidentifywitheachother.

Aswecansee,ourcompositionstudentswhoareFacebookmembersarealreadyusingstrategiesofidentification inpersuasion.Theyunderstandwhotheyarewritingtoandproducematerialthatappealstoandidentifiesthemwith thisaudience.These strategiesand thismindset arealso important within academic writing.Audience awareness andknowinghowtoappealtothemareamajorpartofcompositionandacademicwriting.AsIhavepointedout, KennethBurkedescribesidentificationtobethekeytopersuadinganaudience,andbecausestudentsalreadyhave priorexperienceinidentification,wecantransferthattohelpstudentstofullycomprehendaudienceawarenessand utilizeidentificationwithinthecompositionclass.

4. Pedagogicalimplications:Facebookwithinthecompositionclass

Withinacompositionclass,itisimportanttoteachKennethBurke’stheoryofidentification.Theconceptofaudience awarenessandappealisasoldasclassicrhetoric,andmanyrhetoricianshavesoughttoexplainthisconceptandtheorize

howanaudiencecanbepersuaded.KennethBurke’sidentificationwasoneoftheleadingmoderntheoriesofaudience awareness,andhisprocesshadastraightforwardapplication.Becauseidentificationrelatestobothacademicwriting andFacebook,conceptstaughtaboutidentificationcanbedemonstratedonFacebookandthenappliedinacademic writingcontexts.TheFacebookUnitcouldbetaughtclosetothebeginningofthesemesterinorderforstudentsto applyidentificationintheirlateracademicwritingassignments.

Asstudentslearn aboutidentification strategiesandsources,theycould begintostudy how thesesourcestake forminthe familiarenvironmentofFacebook.By lookingatexamples andtheirown Facebookprofiles,theycan begintolinktheirpreviousknowledgeofappealingtotheirFacebookaudiencetotheconceptsofidentification.They canexaminetheirfriendsgrouptoanalyzewhatsourcesofidentificationdrawthemtogether,andtheycandiscover howthestrategiesofidentificationarealreadyatplaywithintheirownprofilestoidentifythemwiththatFacebook friendsaudience.Theunderstandingofhowformalaudienceappealfunctionsbeginstotakeplace.Theteachercan explainhowfundamentallytheseprinciplesareeffectiveatpersuasionandargument.Studentscanevenanalyzethe effectivenessofusingidentificationintentionallywithintheirsocialmediabysimulatingtheexperienceofmodifying theirprofiletoidentifywithaspecificbossorcompanyofemployment.

Fromsocialmedia,studentscanbegintobranchouttoconnecttheseprinciplestoacademicwriting.Havingthe backingofidentificationatworkwithinFacebook,theleaptoacademicdiscourseisthenextstep.Thisstepiswherethe teacherandthestudentsabstracttheirpreviousknowledgetobridgetousingthoseabstractedtacticsinthenewcontexts.

Studentsstartstudyingprofessionalandacademictextstofindprinciplesofidentification.Studentswouldalsostart applyingtheseprinciplesintotheirownwritingexercises.Theywouldfirstanalyzetheiraudiencesoftheiracademic paperstolocatesourcesofconsubstantialityandthenformallyimplementthestrategiesofidentificationwithintheir writingaspersuasionmethodstoappealtothataudience.Astheteacherassignsformalwritingassignments,students wouldreflectontheiruseofidentificationanditseffectivenesswithinacademiccomposition.

WhenIconductedtheseactivitieswithinmyownclassthestudentsrespondedwelltousingamediumthatmost ofthemwerealreadyfamiliarwith.BecausetheartifactforanalysiswastheirownFacebookprofilesandfriends,my studentscouldcriticallyreflectmoredeeplybecauseofthatleveloffamiliarity.Thesestudentsalsoenjoyedanalyzing anartifactthathadreal-worldsignificancetothem.Theycouldseetheapplicabilityofidentificationbetterbecause ofhowwelltheycouldseeitoperatingwithinFacebook.Theidentificationwithanemployerexercise(adaptedfrom Vie,2007)wasabighitandallowedmyclasstoseehowidentification’sstrategiescouldbeturnedtoamoreformal andspecificaudienceforaspecificpurpose.Itwascrucial,however,tothoroughlyexplainthetheoryofidentification, becauseifastudentdidnotknowwhatheorshewaslookingfor,thentheyhadahardtimetransferringtheconcepts toadifferentcontext.

By applying the principle of transfer, students engage inabstracting the strategies of identification from their Facebookandsocialmediatonewwritingenvironments.Thistransferstartswithacademicdiscourseandultimately leadstoapplicationofidentificationinanyrhetoricalcontextsthatstudentsfindthemselvesin.

5. Conclusionsandfurtherresearch

AsIscrollthroughthepostsandcommentsmadebymyFacebookfriends,Iliketoimaginemyselfchattingwith themovertherhetoricalchoicestheyhavemade.Thecomplexityoftheir identificationsastoundsme.WhenItalk tomy studentsover their socialmediauses, therhetoric of their communicationstands out asfertile groundsfor researchinitsapplicationtocomposition.Moreinquirymustbedonetoanalyzetheutilityofthesesocialnetworking sites.GinaMarantoandMattBarton(2010)explained,“Asrhetoricians,wecannotaffordtoignoretheopportunities forlearning,forsocialandpoliticalengagement,thatonlinenetworkingaffords.”Theycontinued,“For[information specialists,linguists,librarians,compositionists,rhetoricians,andothers],technologiessuchasFacebookandMyspace areseenasnotonlyessentialbutalmostinevitablefor21^stcenturyeducation.”Theseandmanyotherscholarshave reinforced the ideathat digital rhetoric andtechnology are influentialfor pedagogy, andas amajorpart of those areas,socialnetworkingsiteslikeFacebookarecrucialtothefieldofcompositionresearch.Thesetechnologiesneed tobe addressedbecausetheyare thewayof the future. Teachersneedtoconvergewithstudentsinthe realmsof compositionthatthosestudentsarealreadyengagedin. ByfollowingtheprinciplesIhavediscussedinthispaper, teacherswillconnectandevenlearnfromtheirownstudentsinallowingthemtodiscoverandapplytheprincipleof identification.

ThetransferofFacebook’saudienceawarenessandappealtoenteringcriticaldialogueandprofessionaldiscourseis nottheonlyimplicationofthismethod.Byteachingstudentstheprincipleoftransferwecantrainthemtofurtherutilize identificationinrhetoricalcontextsnotlimitedtoacademicwriting.Transferofidentificationinothercontextswill alsoengendertheabilitytoapplytransfertoothermethodsandforotherpurposes.Studentswillhavetheexperience ofmetacognitionandwillbeabletoemploytransferastheyarefacedwithneedingtoadapttheirskillsandknowledge tonewcontexts.

Facebookasatoolforrhetoricalandcompositionallearningisbeingdiscussedinvariouswaysbyvariousscholars, buttherestillexistsalackofdiscussion regardinghow effectivetheproposedstrategiesare.Therearenotenough articlesexplaining the empirical effects Facebook andsocial mediasiteshave. More teachers need toimplement thesepractices and publish their findings on the effectiveness of Facebook as arhetorical teaching tool. Further research and implementation will be needed by teachers to analyze how Facebook, as well as other social net- workingsites, canbe used toteachidentificationandaudience awareness.The principle of transferinregardsto students’priorrhetoricalknowledgefromsocialmediaalsoneedsmoreanalysisandinvestigationfromteachersand scholars.

KennethBurke’stheoryofidentificationhasbeenprovedeffectivebyotherscholars.Becausethistheoryapplies soreadilytoFacebookandsocialnetworking,identificationcanbeusedtotransferwhatcompositionstudentsknow aboutappealingtoaudienceinFacebookandsocialnetworkingtoappealingtoaudienceinacademicwriting.The callfornewmodelsofwriting,curriculum,andteachingaddressingthesenewcompositionalspaceshasbeenmade.

KennethBurke’sidentificationtheory,whenmergedwiththatgiantcommunitybase,Facebook,providessuchamodel to“helpourstudentscomposeoften,composewell,andthroughthesecomposing,becomethecitizenwritersofour country,thecitizenwritersofourworld,andthewritersofourfuture”(Yancey,2009,p.1).

AppendixA. SampleClassroomActivitiesandAssignmentsfortheFacebookUnit

Thefollowingactivitiesaresamplesthatcouldhelpstudentstolearnaboutidentification,learnabouthowitworks, andapplyitthemselves.

A.1. ClassroomDiscussion

Classroomdiscussionaboutthemethodwouldbeimportanttobeginwith.Followinginitialdiscussion,thefirstthree individualassignmentswouldhelpthestudentstounderstandandapplythemethodtoFacebook.Thefinalassignment (apolishedanalysisessay) would helpstudentstomake the transition fromapplying thismethodtoFacebookto applyingittoacademicwritingandeverydaycommunication.

AsthecompositionteacherexplainsanddefinesthetermsofBurke’sidentification,outlinedabove,theywould modelhowtheseconceptsfunctioninaspacethestudentsalreadyunderstand:Facebook.Studentscouldbeintroduced tothemethodwithexplanationanddiscussionaboutidentificationandaudienceawarenessandappeal.Thiswould thenbeexpoundedtocoveridentificationsourcesandidentificationstrategies.Theclasswouldalsodiscusshoweach aspectalsorelatestoandcanbeappliedtoacademicwriting.Iftheteacherhasacomputerhookeduptoaprojector, theycangetonFacebookandshowsomesolidexamplesofBurke’sthreestrategiesofidentificationandalsopoint outthesourcesof identification.Theclasswouldengageinadiscussionofhow welltheybelievecertainattempts atidentificationareworking. Aftermodeling theanalysis,the teacherwould taketheclasstoacomputer laband havethestudents workinsmall groupsor pairs.Eachgroup wouldbe loggedinto Facebookandwould lookfor examplesoftheidentificationaspectsandstrategiesontheirown.Theycouldtakescreenshotswheretheythought certainaspects of identification were atwork. On a separatepiece of paper theywould definethe examples and analyzehowwellthoseexampleswork.Theywouldafterwardsturninbothpaperstotheteacherforassessmentof comprehension.

AftermodelingidentificationtoFacebook,askthestudentshowtheycanapplythismethodtoacademicwriting.How cantheydiscovertheiraudienceandthepropertiesthattheyaudiencehasorwouldfindappealing?Organizestudents intogroupstodiscusshowtheprincipleofidentificationworksintheirownFacebookprofiles.Astheclasswould progressthroughwritingdifferentessays,theteachercouldmodelhowstudentscouldidentifywiththeirparticular audiences.

A.2. IndividualWritingAssignments

Thefollowingassignmentsarewrittenasifasaprompttothestudentfortheassignment.

ThefirstshortanalysiswouldfunctiontohelpstudentsbeginaudienceanalysiswithidentificationonFacebook.By lookingatafamiliaraudience,studentswouldbeabletocharacterizethataudienceandunderstandtheirqualitiesand attributesinawayastohelpthestudentsbeawareofwhotheiraudiencewasandtothinkabouthowthataudience couldbeappealedto.Thesecondanalysiswouldhelpstudentsidentifyaspectsofaudienceappealthattheynaturally usewithintheirFacebookprofiles.Thiswouldallowthemtostudyhowwelltheyalreadyusedidentificationandto givethestrategiesofidentificationarealsignificance.Thethirdanalysiswouldhelpstudentsapplyidentification,both inaudienceawarenessandappeal,withintheconfinesofFacebookbutwithamorespecificandprofessionalaudience andwithaspecificpurpose.Atthisjuncture,studentswouldpracticethestrategies,butstillwithintheformatthatthey wereaccustomedto,andallowthemtoconsciouslyuseidentificationforpersuasion.Thefourthandfinalassignment of thisunitwouldbe apolishedanalysis essaythat wouldcoveranddrawfromtheirprevious analysistoexplain identificationbothinitsusesinFacebookaswellasitsapplicationtoacademicwriting.Atthispoint,studentswould startconsideringhowidentificationcouldbeintegratedintotheformalwritingtheywillbedoingincollegeandin futurecomposingencounters.

A.2.1. Assignment#1:“WhoAreMyFriends?”AnalysisofPersonalAudience

ImagineyouarewritingabooktoincomingcompositionstudentstitledIdentifyingwithYourAudience,helping thosestudentsunderstandandknowhowtouseaudienceawarenessandappeal.Thisassignmentwouldbeachapter titled“MyFacebookFriends:AnExampleAudience.”YouwillexplainyourownFacebookfriendswiththeirsources ofidentification,givingyourfansanunderstandingofyourgeneralFacebookaudience.

UsingBurke’sstrategiesandsourcesofidentification,writeananalysis(400-600words)onyourFacebookfriends’

generalidentificationandcommonsubstance.Writeatleastaparagraphdescribingthekindsofcommonsubstance foreachidentificationsource.Thiswillgiveadescriptionofjustwhoyourfriendsaretoyouraudience.Usespecific examplesfromFacebookinyourwriting.Attentiontocorrectuseofterminologyofthekindsofsourcesandstrategies andcorrectapplicationisarequirement.

Makesureyoudiscussallthesources:materialidentificationwithphysicalpossessionsandthingsaswellasstatus andpositionetc.;idealisticidentificationwithbeliefs,values,standards,ideas,attitudesetc.;andformalidentification withgroupsthatpeopleshareoreventspeoplehavegoneto,suchasclasses,clubs,jobs,workplace,concerts,dances, etc.

Considerthe followingissues.Therewill beoverlap amongthe sources,andnot everyfriendyou havewillfit generalitiesofthewhole.Reflectonwhatkindsofconsubstantialityexistwithinyourfriendgroup.Aretherefriend requeststhatyouhaveturneddown?Forthosethatyoucanremember,explainwhyyourejectedthefriendofferand howitrelatestoidentification.

Writeatleastonelengthyparagraphaboutwhatyourobservationsmean.Observeandreflectonwhatpatternsyou see.Whatinterestingconnectionshaveyoumadewiththisanalysis?HowmightyoudescribeyourFacebookaudience asawhole?UsespecificexamplesfromFacebookinyourwriting.

A.2.2. Assignment#2:“WhoamI?”AnalysisofPersonalIdentification

Imagineyou arestillwritingthat booktoincoming compositionstudentstitledIdentifyingwithYourAudience, helpingthosestudentsknowhowtouseaudienceawarenessandappeal.Thisassignmentwouldbeachaptertitled

“HowIIdentifiedonFacebook.”YouwillexplainhowyouhaveidentifiedwithyourownFacebookfriends.Thiswill givethemasolidexampleofhowthemethodofidentificationworks.

UsingBurke’sstrategiesandsourcesofidentification,writeananalysis(500-600words)ofyourownidentification toyourFacebookfriends.Useasasourceyour“WhoaremyFriends”analysis.Attentiontocorrectuseofterminology ofthekindsofsourcesandstrategiesandcorrectapplicationisarequirement.

Writeatleastonelengthyparagraphaboutyouruseofeachstrategy:commonground,antithesis,andtheassumed

“we.”UsespecificexamplesfromFacebookinyourwriting.Ifyoudon’tthinkthatyouuseastrategythenexplainwhy.

Usethefollowingquestionstohelpyouwritetheseparagraphs:Whydidyouchoosetheprofilepictureandcoverphoto youdid?Whatstrategieshaveyouusedconsciouslyorunconsciouslyinyourstatusupdates,mediauploads,sharing,

andcommenting?Howdoyour“likes”reflectyouridentification?Howdoesyour“About”pagereflectidentification toyourfriends?Arethereinstanceswhereyoutrytonotidentify?Justifyyouractions.

Writeatleastonelengthyparagraphaboutwhatyourobservationsmean.Observeandreflectonwhatpatternsyou see.Whatinterestingconnectionshaveyou madewiththisanalysis?Reflectontheconsubstantialitythatyouhave createdwithyourfriends.UsespecificexamplesfromFacebookinyourwriting.

A.2.3. Assignment#3:EmployersandIdentificationAnalysis

Again,you are still writing that bookto incoming compositionstudents titledIdentifyingwith YourAudience, helpingthosestudentsknowhowtouseaudienceawarenessandappeal.

Thisassignmentwouldbethechaptertitled“HowIWouldIdentifyMyProfilewithMyBoss.”Youwillexplain howwouldidentifywithanemployerandcompanyofyourchoosing.Thiswillgiveyourfansabetterunderstanding ofhowidentificationworksinamoreprofessionalcontext.

Writeanotheranalysis(500-600words)ofhowyouwouldchangeyourprofiletoidentifywithacertainemployer, asifthatemployerwasgoingtogothroughyourFacebookprofile.Donotfalsify(makeup)information.Attentionto correctuseofterminologyofthekindsofsourcesandstrategiesandcorrectapplicationisarequirement.

Chooseaspecificcompanywithaspecificoccupation.Explainindetailwhoyouaretryingtoidentifywith,otherwise yourfanswillbeconfusedabouthowyouareidentifying.Explainwhatkindsofmediauploads,“likes,”comments, posts,shares,andsoforthyou wouldusetoidentifywiththatemployer.Thiswillbeyour evidence.Justifythese choicesbyexplainingwhichidentificationsourcesandstrategiesyouareusing.Usespecificexamplesofthingsyou wouldchangeonyourFacebookprofile.Sumyouranalysisupwithaparagraphexplainingwhyyouridentification wouldworkandwhyidentificationissignificantinapplyingforajob.

A.2.4. Assignment#4:“BringingitTogether”TransferringtoAcademicWriting

Now,youarefinishingthatbooktoincomingEnglishcompositionstudentstitledIdentifyingwithYourAudience.

Thisassignmentwouldbetheintroductiontothebook.Youshouldchooseatitlethatisgrabbingtoyouraudience.This analysiswouldbefocusedonteachingthefuturecompositionstudentsabouttheimportanceofaudienceawarenessand appeal(aka“Identification”)inacademicwriting.Youwillinstructtheminthisprinciplebydescribingidentification anddemonstratinghowitworkswithamediumlikeFacebookusingyourownanalysesasexamples.

Thiswouldbeapolishedessay(1200-1700words)containingthreemainparts.(1)Anintroductionofthemethod:

whatidentificationandaudienceawarenessandappealis,whatthesourcesandstrategiesare,andwhythisprinciple isimportantbothineverydaycommunicationandacademicwriting.(2)AnexampleofidentificationwithFacebook:

thisincludesthematerialfromallthreeofyourpreviousanalyses.Thisexampleshoulddetailwhatittakestoanalyze anaudienceandcomeupwithmethodstoidentifyandappealtothem.(3)Adiscussionofhowthismethodcanbe appliedtoandmadetoworkforacademicwritingwithaudienceawarenessandappeal:Howdoyoufeelidentification appliesinacademic writing?WhatthingswouldbethesameordifferentcomparedtoidentificationonFacebook?

Usespecificexamples.Howwillidentificationlookinacademicwriting?Whatstepsshouldsomeonetaketoidentify withtheiracademicaudiencewhenwritingapaper?Howhaveyourperceptionsaboutaudienceawarenessandappeal changed?Whatprincipleswillyoutaketofuturerhetoricalsituations?

Remembertofocus your essay tohelping incoming compositionstudents understandand knowhow to apply identificationforacademicwriting.Thesefuturestudentsshouldknowhowtousetherhetoricalprincipleofaudience awarenessandappeal.

A.3. AftertheFacebookUnit

Fromthispointon,studentsandteacherscoulddiscusshowidentificationwouldfitintotheirotherwritingassign- ments.Asstudentspreparedtowriteotheressaysfortheclass,theteachercoulddiscusswiththestudentswhotheir audienceswereforeach assignment.Studentswouldcontinue toanalyzethoseaudiencesinordertopreparetheir essaystoidentifywiththem.Onceessayswerefinished,orperhapsastheessayswerebeingdrafted,studentswould writeevaluationsonwhattheyweredoingtoidentifywitheachaudienceineachessay,andthestudentswouldreflect onhowwelltheywouldimaginesuchidentificationswouldwork.

Classroomworkshopanddiscussionwouldcontinuetopolishstudents’abilitytoidentifywiththeiraudience,and studentswouldbegivengreaterlibertytodecidehowtoidentifywiththeiraudiences.Studentscouldthentakesuch

skillswiththemastheyenteredintonewcompositionencountersbothintheircollegeclasses,intheirprofessionsand careers,aswellasintheireverydaycomposing.

SamuelHeadcompletedhisM.A.degreeatIdahoStateUniversityinEnglish.HisBachelor’sdegreeinvolvedtheeclecticmixtureofEnglish, Theatre,Speech,andBiologyEducation.Heiscurrentlyinvolvedinresearchregardingsocialmediauseinfirstyearcomposition.Hisotherinterests involvepedagogyanddigitalrhetoric.He,hiswife,andtheirnewdaughterliveinColumbusOhio.

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