Module 5

This week focused on how digital writing can influence real-world change🌎. In Public Writing for Social Change, Holmes says that writing in the public sphere means being aware of what’s happening around you👀, social issues, politics, culture, and using that to create timely, relevant content. It’s not just about your message, but how it connects to people and invites them to act.


Rheingold adds onto this idea by pushing us to be active participants online. Even small actions like liking a post or signing a petition, what some call clicktivism💬, can lead to real offline engagement. Whether people call it lazy or not, it still spreads awareness and brings people into important conversations.🙀


We also learned about social capital, or the value we get from our connections. Bonding capital is about close relationships, bridging connects us with new people, and linking ties us to institutions. These networks, through platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, or Change.org, can help us access support, info, and real opportunities.


Finally, we talked about copyright and fair use. Just because something is online doesn’t mean it’s free to take. Whether it’s an image, a blog, or even AI-generated art, we still need to credit creators and follow copyright rules. Respecting intellectual property keeps digital spaces ethical and creative👍.

Question to Consider:

😁What’s one small online action you’ve taken that made you feel like you were part of something bigger?


Citations:
Holmes, L. (2011). Public writing for social change. In D. L. Driscoll & J. R. Powell (Eds.), Writing spaces: Readings on writing (Vol. 2, pp. 242–253). Parlor Press. https://wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/
Rheingold, H. (2012). Net smart: How to thrive online. MIT Press.
Quiggin, J. (2010). Blogs, wikis and creative innovation. Economics: The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal, 4(2010-31), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2010-31
Fisher, C. (2020, October 2). Clicktivism: does online activism actually work? BBC. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201002-clicktivism-does-online-activism-actually-work


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