Activity Details

This is an optional activity, worth 20 points.

• Due Date: 11:59 PM on Friday, April 30.
• End of Grace Period: 11:59 PM on Monday, May 3.

Goals

• Analyze the rhetorical situation and determine the appropriate audience or users of written communication, considering the needs of global audiences and people with disabilities. [CLO 1]
• Use conventions of various workplace genres, such as proposals, instructions, correspondence, reports, and slide decks, with understanding of how the genre conventions can be used as heuristics and as principles of arrangement. [CLO 4]
• Apply principles of effective visual design for print and electronic presentation, including hierarchical, chronological, and spatial arrangements. [CLO 6]
• Identify and apply the principles of effective style in the composing of usable, reader-centered written communications. [CLO 7]

The Task

What I Want You to Do

Take a stance on the use of social media in your field, and explain your position and why you have taken it in your response. Your written position statement will be like a personal opinion column published in a trade journal in your field.

Why I Want You to Do It

Social media is used frequently in the workplace. By taking some time to think about how social media is used, you will be better prepared to use it yourself.

How You Do It

1. Choose a social media tool (like Instagram) in particular or several that can be used for a related activity (like posting short videos, which you might do with TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube).
2. Focus on a specific audience that social media is used with in your field:
   • Your colleagues and coworkers in your field. 
   • Clients or customers, as well as potential clients or customers.
   • The public generally.
   You can add another issue if you like or combine issues if appropriate to what you want to discuss.
3. Choose a specific issue that your field might use social media for. For example, some fields use social media for technical and customer support.
4. Once you have an issue in mind, take a stance, using the following positions to get started:
   • Social media has improved the issue.
   • Social media has changed the issue.
   • Social media has weakened or undermined the issue.
   You can add or change positions, as you like. Do not feel limited to the three listed.
5. Combine all the decisions you have made into a single statement of your position. For example, you might state your position as “Social media like Instagram has complicated sales interactions with clients in the field of finance.”
6. Write a 300–500 word position statement, using your word processor or Google Docs, that explains your stance and why have you taken it. Include specific examples or details to support your stance. Your opinion alone is not enough.
7. Submit your position statement:
   • Submit your work here by 11:59 PM on Friday, April 30.
   • If you need more time, use the grace period and submit your work by 11:59 PM on Monday, May 3.

Obtaining the Points for Your Work

This activity is worth 20 points. Be sure to complete the following tasks:

• Track your work in your Weekly Work Log.
• Wait for me to give you points for your answers. Canvas cannot automatically grade written text, so I will confirm that you met the requirements of the activity and add your points manually.