Introduction to the Machine

Hello.  My name is Matt Rutkowski, and I am an English Major at U of M.  I've only been interested in English since my freshman year, but I've been absorbed in it since.  More than anything else, I am interested in the comedic aspects of the language.  Jokes are funny sometimes, and I like it when they are.  Outside of the university, I play drums, write music/stories, DJ at the WCBN Radio Station, play a few sports, and have made a hobby of convincing myself that I'm going to start working out tomorrow.  I'm also a huge fan of slightly awkward and stilted introductions.

I was attracted to the digital for class because I spend a lot of time on the computer.  I was hoping that taking a class on it would give me an academic perspective on my habit, and would possibly help me justify the fact that I often stay up way too late watching British comedy clips like this one.  To that end, Michael Wesch's video only served to show that I could waste a lot of time online, but not why I would.  The first thing I ever did on the internet was download midis of Mario Kart 64 songs.  Rainbow road was the prettiest.  The internet is has moved on rapidly since.  Access to audio, video, information, and socialization are practically instantaneous.  There is a proliferation of content and as users of that content, we define how this content is organized and made available.  Look at me go.

The most interesting point of Wesch's video is how he makes the point that interaction with the web has become so much more than simple text.  However, he uses only text to make his points.  This dovetails into the common perception of rhetoric as well.  Things like style and delivery as well as pathos seem very much tied into verbal speech.  There is an lack of personal interaction from video to viewer or article to reader or audio to listener.  Much of rhetoric is made more difficult in online form. 

But Wesch proves it's not impossible.  When the video cuts to the phrase "The machine is us," there may be a definitive emotional reaction from the viewer.  He accomplishes this not by interacting with the viewer themself, but by interacting with the text on screen.  By starting with a human hand editing handwriting, the video starts from a human perspective.  From there on out, we know that all of the reformation of the text seen is done by a person and not by a generic concept of a "machine."  The viewer has a connection to the video, and this generates some of the emotional response necessary for fully formed rhetoric.

In addition, noting that he's an assistant professor adds to the ethos.  Effective use of logos in his content and creativity is made clear by the fact that the video remains interesting after the three minute mark.  It's also a very inventive method, especially for the video being four years old.  That this is surprising only serves to bolster his point that technology is moving extremely quickly.  The older this video gets, the more effective it becomes.