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Youtube and the Vernacular Rhetorics of Web 2.0

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Youtube and the Vernacular Rhetorics of Web 2.0 i REMEDIATING DEMOCRACY: YOUTUBE AND THE VERNACULAR RHETORICS OF WEB 2.0 Erin Dietel-McLaughlin A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2010 Committee: Kristine Blair, Advisor Louisa Ha Graduate Faculty Representative Michael Butterworth Lee Nickoson ii ABSTRACT Kristine Blair, Advisor This dissertation examines the extent to which composing practices and rhetorical strategies common to ―Web 2.0‖ arenas may reinvigorate democracy. The project examines several digital composing practices as examples of what Gerard Hauser (1999) and others have dubbed ―vernacular rhetoric,‖ or common modes of communication that may resist or challenge more institutionalized forms of discourse. Using a cultural studies approach, this dissertation focuses on the popular video-sharing site, YouTube, and attempts to theorize several vernacular composing practices. First, this dissertation discusses the rhetorical trope of irreverence, with particular attention to the ways in which irreverent strategies such as new media parody transcend more traditional modes of public discourse. Second, this dissertation discusses three approaches to video remix (collection, Detournement, and mashing) as political strategies facilitated by Web 2.0 technologies, with particular attention to the ways in which these strategies challenge the construct of authorship and the power relationships inherent in that construct. This dissertation then considers the extent to which sites like YouTube remediate traditional rhetorical modes by focusing on the genre of epideictic rhetoric and the ways in which sites like YouTube encourage epideictic practice. Finally, in light of what these discussions reveal in terms of rhetorical practice and democracy in Web 2.0 arenas, this dissertation offers a concluding discussion of what our ―Web 2.0 world‖ might mean for composition studies in terms of theory, practice, and the teaching of writing. iii For my daughter, Kennedy, so she might always remember that no dream is out of reach. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of many talented colleagues I have been privileged to work with at Bowling Green State University. I am especially indebted to my advisor, Dr. Kristine Blair, whose scholarly expertise, collegiality, and generosity of spirit have sustained me throughout the course of this project, not to mention my entire graduate career. I am also grateful for the support of my committee members, Dr. Michael Butterworth, Dr. Louisa Ha, and Dr. Lee Nickoson, as well as Dr. Sue Carter Wood, who sparked my interest in the historical connections between literacy and citizenship. My writing of this dissertation was made possible by way of a generous fellowship awarded by the BGSU English Department, for which I remain extremely thankful. I also appreciate the ongoing camaraderie of my fellow graduate students, whose feedback on abstracts, proposals, research presentations, potential video examples, and chapter drafts kept my thinking focused and renewed my enthusiasm for the project. Finally, I offer my deepest thanks to colleagues Brittany Cottrill and Callista Buchen, who spent many hours lovingly entertaining my infant daughter when mommy had to write. Outside of BGSU, I offer my sincere thanks to participants in the Research Network Forum at the 2008 Rhetoric Society of America conference, especially Dr. Edward Schiappa and Matt Weiss, whose feedback was particularly valuable during my initial research on irreverence and the CNN-YouTube Debates. This dissertation also benefitted from feedback offered by guest editors Dr. Randall McClure and Dr. Michael Palmquist on an article published in the Web 2.0 issue of Computers and Composition Online (which evolved into Chapter 2 of this dissertation). Less evident, yet no less significant, are the contributions made by many extraordinary people who in various ways made a Ph.D. seem possible for me. Thanks especially to Dr. ―Uncle v Jay‖ Moynahan, whose unwavering support, sincerity, and generosity carried me through most of my college career. I am forever indebted to the expert counsel and resources offered by Dr. Karen McKinney and the McNair Scholars Program at Eastern Washington University, as well as Stefanie Pettit, Khalil Islam-Zwart, and Dr. Anthony Flinn, all of whom supported my writing and encouraged me to pursue graduate education. Thanks also to the many people over the years who, in ways big and small, have been my cheerleaders, coaches, and role models. This list includes Genevieve Cody, Tambra Ostrander, Ashley Koedding, Joe V., Shawn McBride, Leah ―Daks‖ Furman, Guy Barker, Daryl ―Rorik‖ Mahoney, Michael and Darcy Allen, Perry Sanders, Ann Martinson, Tom and Julie Stehr, Rube Wrightsman, and Robey Reed. Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn‘t. Last, but certainly not least, I thank my family for their unconditional love and support during my writing of this dissertation and my entire educational journey. Words cannot express the profound gratitude I feel toward my wonderful husband, whose patience and steadfast support brought me through more than one writing-induced meltdown. Thanks to my mom, who has always challenged me to follow my dreams, even when they seem impossibly out of reach. Thanks to my sister, who inspires me to be a good role model every day and to finish what I begin. And, of course, thanks to my amazing daughter for putting it all in perspective. Thank you so much, everyone, for everything. I simply would not be here without you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. A CASE FOR THEORIZING VERNACULAR RHETORIC IN ONLINE DISCOURSE ................................................................................................................................1 YouTube as Web 2.0 Case Study .....................................................................................4 The Public Sphere and Rhetorical Democracy .................................................................5 The Internet as Public Sphere ...........................................................................................9 Writing Technologies, Literacy, and Citizenship ...........................................................12 New Media, Digital Literacies, and Democracy .............................................................16 Locating Vernacular Rhetorics .......................................................................................19 Pedagogical Ramifications..............................................................................................24 Project Goals and Research Questions ...........................................................................28 Methodology ...................................................................................................................31 CHAPTER II. DESTROYED WITH LAUGHTER: IRREVERENT COMPOSITIONS AND THE POLITICS OF NEW MEDIA PARODY ..........................................................................34 The Rhetoricity of the Parody Genre ..............................................................................38 Irreverence and Articulation ...........................................................................................42 Irreverence, Intertextuality, and Subversive Literacies ..................................................43 Our Cultural Moment: Political Divisiveness and the Proliferation of New Media .......47 Irreverent Composition and the CNN-YouTube Debates ...............................................49 Irreverent Composition as Resistance .............................................................................53 Limitations and Cautions ................................................................................................59 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................60 vii CHAPTER III. PIRATES AND PUBLICS: DIGITAL REMIX VIDEO AND THE PROBLEM OF AUTHORSHIP .................................................................................................................62 The Myth of the Solitary Author and the Unified Text ..................................................64 Copyright and Fair Use in the Digital Age .....................................................................69 Pirates and Policing.........................................................................................................72 Politics, Digital Culture, and Mass Media ......................................................................74 Collection as Authorship: The ―Gay Rights‖ PostSecret Slideshow ..............................76 Detournement as Oppositional Text: ―So You Think You Can Be President?‖ ............81 Down the Rabbit Hole: ―Mashing‖ and the Future of Authorship .................................84 Remix as Resistant Cultural Production ........................................................................88 Limitations ......................................................................................................................90 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................91 CHAPTER IV. PRIVATE TRUTH, PUBLIC VIDEO, AND THE PEDAGOGY OF DISPLAY: BEHOLDING YOUTUBE‘S EPIDEICTIC RHETORIC ..........................................................93 Epideictic Rhetoric: Definitions and Departures
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