In “Writing Addresses, Invokes, an/or Creates Audiences” Andrea A. Lunsford talks about the importance of imagining and visualizing who the intended audience is. Doing this allows for an end goal of forming a connection and speaks about how that process has changed and became far more complicated with the movement into the digital age
The main thing that became very apparent after reading this article was how much the digital age has changed the process of how authors would go about reaching their audience. Up until the point I entered college the entirety of my academic career has consisted of small classes in which I have known all of the students and professors. Given that all of my class experience has been with small class size that means when I was required to write or give presentations, I was well acquainted with everyone that would be in the audience. This meant that during the creative process I did not have to visualize my audience or imagine who may be reading my work since I already knew.
In “the new digital age has brought with it the need for even closer consideration of audiences” (Lunsford, 21). With the new digital age, a writer is never sure what demographic will make up the audience, therefore they must prepare for all possibilities which requires the visualization and imagination of potential audiences. The one saving grace for these new and upcoming writers would be their experience with non formal media outlets. Non formal outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have allowed many young influencers to gain experience with visualizing potential audiences. Writing to large audiences on social media has given many young writers the ability to predict reactions and create content that is accepted and appreciated across a very diverse audience. Even if non formal settings were to be considered, I have limited social media and do not post on the social media that I do have. With my writing, presentation, and social media background, I have never had to deal with a digital audience or an audience that I did not know.
To many of these teen’s parents, teachers and authority figures, the apparent addiction to social media and technology is most likely seen as a disadvantage. I am sure many people that make up the younger generations have become quite familiar with phrases such as “get your nose out of your phone”, “Live in the moment”, or “put your phone down and be social for a change”. While the older generations see this technology addiction as a disadvantage because of the distractions it causes, it might result in the largest advantage the upcoming generation has over its predecessors. When entering college level classes or attempting to advance in a profession that involves writing, previous generations had to learn how to imagine, visualize and then address large diverse groups. This young and upcoming generation will enter these advanced courses and professions with the ability to address these large diverse groups due to their experience with technology and social media.
