WRT 205

  When choosing a genre and medium for our Unit 3 Project, we were faced with both a challenge and an opportunity. As a group of four architecture students, we knew we didn’t want to do just another research paper or design proposal. We spend so much of our academic lives focused on visual media (drawings, renders, plans) that the chance to work in a completely different format felt exciting. We also wanted our project to feel like something we would actually enjoy consuming, which is how we landed on a podcast. Our episode, ‘How Technology Frames the World Around Us’ was the result of several late night studio chats, where one conversation always spirals into another in a state of sleeplessness. From the state of digital tools in architecture, to Instagram algorithms, to the uncanny aesthetic of AI-generated images, we started to notice a pattern: technology doesn’t just support our work, it shapes how we see, design, and communicate. Additionally, that pattern doesn’t just apply ...

While reading I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib, I was struck by how the graphic novel functions not just as a storytelling device, but as a kind of technology in itself: one that blends words and visuals to communicate identity, culture, and personal history in a deeply engaging way. Gharib’s use of hand-drawn illustrations, playful diagrams, and handwritten fonts creates a personal, almost zine-like aesthetic that mirrors the DIY ethos of expressing complex emotions and experiences outside traditional literary forms. As the daughter of a Filipino mother and an Egyptian father, Gharib’s experience growing up in America is full of contradictions, negotiations, and small moments of clarity. The uniquely colorful visual format, with its limited color palette of oranges and blues, allows her to capture this nuance—tiny shifts in facial expression, symbolic imagery, or the layout of a page do just as much storytelling as her words. This layering of meaning is where the 'tech...

Reddit operates as an ideological battlefield online, where anonymity allows for users to share controversial opinions, unfiltered discourse, and collective identity. This makes Reddit uniquely political. The podcast episodes listened to in class provided context for Reddit's existence, as well as what similar such digital spaces mean for our future. Reddit's structure means that it has a capacity to amplify certain niche communities and also blur the boundaries between credible sources and misinformation. In 99% Invisible 's discussion of 'Lost Cities of Geo Redux', the hosts discuss the 'One Terabyte of the Kilobyte Age' project, which archives GeoCities pages, paralleling the archival efforts so central to the Reddit community. Similar to subreddits such as r/datahoarders, the project emphasizes the importance of preserving digital spaces that would otherwise be lost to time. Both platforms serve as time capsules, showcasing how the internet functioned in...

  For this piece, my intended audience consisted of media scholars, journalists, and individuals interested in the intersection of technology and public discourse. Specifically, I would be targeting college students, in particular those who study at Newhouse or at Maxwell, as their respective fields of communications and policy studies may benefit from this research. Given the complexity of algorithmic influence within journalism, I tried to balance accessibility with depth. I made deliberate rhetorical choices to ensure that the writing remained engaging, yet intellectually rigorous. For example, in the opening paragraph, I emphasized the significance of algorithms in shaping public narratives by saying that ‘as gatekeepers of information, algorithms can help curate personalized news feeds—but this often leads to the creation of echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and limit exposure to diverse viewpoints’. This framing established a critical (but measured tone), which I ...

What role do algorithms play in shaping public narratives (in journalism)? W ithin our contemporary media landscape, algorithms have become immensely pivotal in shaping public narratives. These complex computational processes are able to determine the selection, prioritization, and dissemination of news content, which in turn significantly influences public perception and discourse. As gatekeepers of information, algorithms can help curate personalized news feeds—but this often leads to the creation of echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and limit exposure to diverse viewpoints. This phenomenon raises critical questions about the role of technology in democracy and the free flow of information. The integration of artificial intelligence in journalism has transformed traditional newsrooms, automating tasks such as data analysis, content generation, and audience engagement. AI-driven algorithms are able to analyze vast datasets to identify patterns and trends, enabling journali...

What role do algorithms play in shaping public narratives in journalism? Within our contemporary media landscape, algorithms have become immensely pivotal in shaping public narratives. These complex computational processes are able to determine the selection, prioritization, and dissemination of news content, which in turn significantly influences public perception and discourse. As gatekeepers of information, algorithms can help curate personalized news feeds—but this often leads to the creation of echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and limit exposure to diverse viewpoints. This phenomenon raises critical questions about the role of technology in democracy and the free flow of information. The integration of artificial intelligence in journalism has transformed traditional newsrooms, automating tasks such as data analysis, content generation, and audience engagement. AI-driven algorithms are able to analyze vast datasets to identify patterns and trends, enabling journalists...