Writing for the web means more than simply creating content. We have to be aware of how different digital platforms work and which ones are better suited for the type of content we create. It involves understanding technology to a certain extent as well as design.
Other than the physical nature of the medium itself, we also have to understand the ethical implications of the content we create. There’s an assumption that technology and the digital world is objective. However, because it has been created by people, it’s inherently subjective and full of biases. We have to be aware of these biases and think about how our content and the medium itself affects people who interact with it.
I learned that writing for the web is a lot more complicated than I originally assumed. It’s important to consider your audience in the way that you write your content in order to make it accessible and interactive. I had to change the way I thought about creating content. Design, text, and linking all play a role in how credible and accessible your website is.
The humanities are crucial in approaching technology and digital media. Although STEM teaches people to be analytic and data-driven, it usually avoids holistic and humanistic perspectives. The humanities bring in questions about the implications of technology and how that technology could affect the social and cultural aspects of society. That’s why I decided to focus on anthropology as a lens through which to approach digital media.
Marshall McLuhan’s The Medium is the Message emphasizes that the form and medium through which the content is created is just as, if not more, important. The medium adds another dimension to the meaning of the content and should be utilized to its full extent. Regarding writing for the web, the platform that I use to write content should reflect and support the argument or point that the text makes.
One of the most significant problems concerning the web is the ways in which prejudice translates to digital media and technology. Stereotypes and biases are built directly into software and technology because those are created by humans with complex beliefs and emotions. Facial recognition and speech recognition often falls into the trap of these prejudices and biases by not recognizing minority groups or faces that are not white.
Although it may be impossible to stop every bias from being embedded in the web and digital media, being aware of these things can help me make my content accessible and respectful towards every group. Creating this website and my blog helped me become aware of my own biases going into writing for the web, so that I avoid applying those subconsciously to the content I create.
