Temptation and Its Discontents: Digital Rhetoric, Flow, and the Possible

Rhetoric Review Jul 2013

Temptation and Its Discontents: Digital Rhetoric, Flow, and the Possible

Joshua Reeves North Carolina State University

Abstract

This essay explores the role of rhetoric in everyday online activities, arguing that scholarship in digital rhetoric can be informed by Raymond Williams's theory of media flow. Turning to Martin Heidegger and John Poulakos, I argue that the Web's rhetoric of the possible encourages a momentum of text consumption by which users are tempted to further immerse themselves in a “flowing” media experience. As digital technologies provide new opportunities for the surveillance and personalization of our Web practices, this article concludes by encouraging scholars to be critical of the tempting possibilities—and possible selves—crafted by this rhetoric.

Journal: Rhetoric Review
Published: 2013-07-01
DOI: 10.1080/07350198.2013.797878
Open Access: Closed
Topics: digital rhetoric

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

Jenkins (2024)

Rhetoric Is Dead? The Fear of Stasis Behind Post-Truth Rhetoric

Philosophy & Rhetoric
York (2021)

Digital surveillance in online writing instruction: Panopticism and simulation …

Computers and Composition

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Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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