Technical Communication Quarterly Jan 2017

Reddit’s “Explain Like I’m Five”: Technical Descriptions in the Wild

Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder Oregon State University

Abstract

The genre of technical description is seeing a resurgence, particularly in online locations, where new, hybrid versions have emerged. The technical explanation, one such hybrid, proliferates on the social message board site Reddit and the message board “Explain Like I’m Five,” in which answers to complex questions are crowdsourced. This study examines 233 such questions and their answers, identifying the effort needed to generate technical explanations as distributed and coordinative technical communication work.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2017-01-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2016.1257741
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
genre theory technical communication
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (19)

  1. Brooks et al. (2026)
    Tactical Technical Communication as Expert Communication: Strategic Ethos in Co…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Richter (2025)
    Designing Social Media Learning Environments to Promote Digital Literacy
    Communication Design Quarterly
  3. Sparby (2025)
    A Memetic Pandemic: COVID-19 Memes As Tactical Risk Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Moriarty et al. (2024)
    Reddit and Engaged Science Communication Online: An Examination of Reddit’s R/S…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Gallagher et al. (2024)
    Emojination Facilitates Inclusive Emoji Design Through Technical Writing: Fitti…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Show all 19 →
  1. Shen et al. (2022)
    Understanding the Effects of Visual Cueing on Social Media Engagement With YouT…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Bishop et al. (2022)
    Tactical Risk Communication: Observations from Teaching and Learning about Cris…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Randall (2022)
    Taking the Tactical Out of Technical: A Reassessment of Tactical Technical Comm…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Zhu et al. (2021)
    A machine learning algorithm for sorting online comments via topic modeling
    Communication Design Quarterly
  5. Rajan (2021)
    Making-Do on the Margins: Organizing Resource Seeking and Rhetorical Agency in …
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  6. Richter (2021)
    Writing With Reddiquette: Networked Agonism and Structured Deliberation in Netw…
    Computers and Composition
  7. McCaughey (2021)
    The Rhetoric of Online Exclusive Pumping Communities: Tactical Technical Commun…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  8. Peter et al. (2020)
    “Figure 4, Peyote”: Comics and Graphic Narrative in Anarchist Cookbooks, 1971-Present
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  9. Shepherd (2020)
    Gaming Reddit’s Algorithm: r/the_donald, Amplification, and the Rhetoric of Sorting
    Computers and Composition
  10. Moriarty (2020)
    Vaccines Going Viral: Peripheral Public Discussion of Scientifically Justified …
    Rhetoric Review
  11. Lam et al. (2019)
    Finding Stories in the Threads: Can Technical Communication Students Leverage U…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  12. Edenfield (2019)
    Queering consent: design and sexual consent messaging
    Communication Design Quarterly
  13. Edenfield et al. (2019)
    Queering Tactical Technical Communication: DIY HRT
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  14. Brock et al. (2018)
    Rhetorical Genres in Code
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (58) · 26 in this index

  1. Allen (1990)
    The Case Against Defining Technical Writing
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Bostian (1984)
    Technical writing — “very useful stuff”
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. 10.1017/CBO9780511812507
     ↗
  4. 10.1016/0048-7333(80)90032-3
     ↗
  5. Callon M. (1981)
    The social process of scientific investigation (pp. 197–219)
Show all 58 →
  1. Callon M. (1986)
    Power, action, and belief: A new sociology of knowledge
  2. Callon M. (2009)
    Acting in an uncertain world
  3. Cutts M. (2009)
    Oxford guide to plain English
  4. Daer A. (2014)
    Programmatic Perspectives
  5. de Certeau M. (1984)
    The practice of everyday life
  6. Diehl et al. (2008)
    Grassroots: Supporting the Knowledge Work of Everyday Life
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  7. 10.1177/1470412914544516
     ↗
  8. Durack (1997)
    Gender, Technology, and the History of Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  9. Ferro et al. (2014)
    Technical Communication Unbound: Knowledge Work, Social Media, and Emergent Com…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  10. Gallagher (2015)
    Five Strategies Internet Writers Use to “Continue the Conversation”
    Written Communication
  11. 10.1007/978-94-010-0876-1_10
     ↗
  12. Grabill et al. (2012)
    Messy Rhetoric: Identity Performance as Rhetorical Agency in Online Public Forums
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  13. Hauser G. (1999)
    Vernacular voices: The rhetoric of publics and public spheres
  14. Hauser G. (2009)
    Active voices: Composing a rhetoric of social movements
  15. 10.1002/sce.3730720104
     ↗
  16. Johnson-Eilola J. (2005)
    Datacloud: Toward a new theory of online work
  17. Jordan M. P. (1986)
    Technical Writing Teacher
  18. Kimball (2006)
    Cars, Culture, and Tactical Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  19. Latour B. (1987)
    Science in action
  20. Latour B. (2005)
    Reassembling the social: An introduction to actor-network theory
     ↗
  21. 10.1007/BF01059830
     ↗
  22. Longo (1998)
    An approach for applying cultural study theory to technical writing research
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  23. 10.5210/fm.v19i2.4365
     ↗
  24. Mackiewicz (2010)
    The Co-construction of Credibility in Online Product Reviews
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  25. Mackiewicz (2011)
    Epinions Advisors as Technical Editors: Using Politeness Across Levels of Edit
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  26. Mackiewicz (2014)
    Motivating Quality: The Impact of Amateur Editors’ Suggestions on User-Generate…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  27. 10.1177/004839317200200105
     ↗
  28. McNely B. (2011)
    Present Tense
  29. Miller C. R. (2001)
    The semiotics of writing: Transdisciplinary perspectives on the technology of writing (pp…
  30. Milner R. M. (2013)
    International Journal of Communication
  31. 10.1177/030631279402400402
     ↗
  32. Monroe R. (2015)
    Thing explainer: Complicated stuff in simple words
  33. Norman (1989)
    Patent Writing as a Heuristic for Teaching Technical Description
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  34. Pigg (2014)
    Coordinating Constant Invention: Social Media's Role in Distributed Work
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  35. Porter J. E. (2010)
    Rhetorics and technologies: New directions in writing and communication
  36. Potts (2009)
    Using Actor Network Theory to Trace and Improve Multimodal Communication Design
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  37. Potts L. (2013)
    Social media in disaster response
     ↗
  38. Potts et al. (2011)
    Contextualizing Experiences: Tracing the Relationships Between People and Techn…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  39. Reich R. (1991)
    The work of nations: Preparing ourselves for 21st century capitalism
  40. Ritzer G. (2004)
    Encyclopedia of social theory
  41. Selber (2010)
    A Rhetoric of Electronic Instruction Sets
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  42. Slattery S. (2005)
    Technical Communication
  43. Slattery (2007)
    Undistributing Work Through Writing: How Technical Writers Manage Texts in Comp…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  44. Spinuzzi (2007)
    Guest Editor's Introduction: Technical Communication in the Age of Distributed Work
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  45. Swarts (2007)
    Mobility and Composition: The Architecture of Coherence in Non-places
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  46. Swarts (2010)
    Recycled Writing: Assembling Actor Networks From Reusable Content
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  47. Swarts et al. (2009)
    Guest Editors' Introduction: New Technological Spaces
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  48. Tveito (1982)
    Why are Today's Technical Descriptions Still “A Journey through the Unknown?”
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  49. Ittersum (2014)
    Craft and Narrative in DIY Instructions
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  50. Hurley et al. (2014)
    The Rhetoric of Reach: Preparing Students for Technical Communication in the Ag…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  51. 10.1080/1369118X.2013.871056
     ↗
  52. Willerton R. (2015)
    Plain language and ethical action
     ↗
  53. Zappen (2005)
    Digital Rhetoric: Toward an Integrated Theory
    Technical Communication Quarterly
CrossRef global citation count: 30 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments Jan 2026
    A Murder Most Technical: Gamification, AI, and Rhetorical Genre Studies in the Technical Writing Classroom ↗
    Justin Cook
    genre theory writing pedagogy service learning teacher development argument collaborative writing technical communication professional writing
  2. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2025
    Presenting and Making Relevant: Analyzing Teaching Assistant Perceptions of Writing in Statistics Using Semantic Frames ↗
    Ben Markey
    rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis graduate education teacher development assessment technical communication professional writing
  4. Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2024
    ’F---- Shark Tank:’ Rethinking the Centrality of the Business Pitch in Microenterprise Entrepreneurship ↗
    Mason T. Pellegrini
    rhetorical criticism genre theory graduate education technical communication professional writing qualitative research race and writing affect and writing editorial matter
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly Apr 2024
    Navigating Genres in Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Doctoral Programs ↗
    Sara Doody
    genre theory writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development technical communication