CombiningTheStages: MyProcess
Original -- Repurposing -- Remediation
The Original: SATs, Homecoming, and Vodka Shots?
As stated, the original article was written when I was 16-years-old, had never had a sip of alcohol, and disliked the culture surrounding me. Norms were changing, my friends were making new decisions, and I was confused. And for a 16-year-old, that's a hard admission, at that age, we think that we know everything. And so, such confusion was the motivation behind the ignition of the article. I documented new decisions and trends I saw emerging around me, and my thoughts on them. Although I wasn't within the drinking culture exactly, I was around it--and I recorded my observations. Overall, the article took a more negative stance on the issue, whereas I claimed that such a culture was not one I was eager to participate in. I had no problem with individuals who did, and felt everyone was entitled to make their own decisions, but I knew it just wouldn't be mine.
Repurposing: The 6 Most Accurate College Tweets
When beginning the repurposing assignment, as explained earlier, I took that same concept but altered both the argument and the intended audience. Instead of taking a negative stance as shown within the original text, I put an extremely positive spin on the college drinking culture--with a satirical tone. I constructed the format as a Buzzfeed/Cracked article, in which I embedded different tweets enforcing the drinking culture and responded to them as a college student, and of course, professional binge drinker. As the author, I claimed that I would refrain from lying and sugarcoating the college experience with talk of studying and libraries, and skip right to the stuff of importance--drinking, hangovers, and drinking again. I felt that created this new format would allow me to better reach my target audience, as such listicle articles are common reads among college students.
Furthing the satire, I transformed the previous argument present within my repurposing into a personalized Twitter account. With the Twitter handle @TrustTheTrust, I embodied a character who, evident in the title, acquired a large trust fund and went to school simply to party--and wants to make that known to everyone. The character claims that they can pay anyone off, and are completely immersed in the college drinking culture, as they demand everyone should be. Throughout the account, the character responds to articles surrounding drinking, adds commentary by retweeting other drinking-centered accounts, and well as adding in personal opinions related to drinking and a life of privilege. Although representing a college student, school is rarely mentioned, nor a priority, and the current four years of college should be solely spent through phases of drunkness and hangovers. Keeping the audience constant, the satirical tone is meant to mimic those who truly preach such a life as the college experience, in addition to acting as a humorous agent to those knowledgable that such a lifestyle is far from the norm within a college culture.
When beginning this process, each step of reserach and analysis inspired me into the creation of the final project. Little did I know that an article written in 2010 would become the focus of my semester within my minor in writing, yet it allowed me to target a new audience and further an argument with a new perspective. While many of my views from my days as a young writer have swayed, it's interesting to apply a new ideology to such, and transform an old article into something completely refurbished. My processes throughout the repurposing and remediation stages allowed me to experiment with new platforms and tones, while writing about a topic highly relevent in my life--and the lives of many around me.
I hate assumptions. And I hate stereotypes. As a student at the University of Michigan, I witness myself and others spending late nights in the library, stressing about exams, and keeping themselves at questionably high levels of caffination. Yet still, college students are victims of vicious stereotypes. The media portrays college as a 4 year frat party, sexual experimentation, and phase of constant intoxication, while students are working to build their resumes and boost their GPA's. I know that is not true for everyone--and of course, I refrain from stereotypes. But, my argument is that the majority of college students work hard, and that is not something that should be ignored while the drinking culture is idealized and manipulated to appear at the norm.
My motivation behind these series of projects was to publicize this, and use that satirical voice to make clear that such thoughts surrounding the college drinking culture are not as accurate as they may be perceived. By utilizing the specific mediums that I did--such as a Buzzfeed/Cracked formatted article and a Twitter feed--I intended to reach my specific audience by analyzing popular media and creating content consistent with those foundations. While my original article was made up as a typical, long-form article, I knew that a listicle article and Twitter would better reach my intended audience based on college norms and media consumption. Throughout each stage of my projects, I had to analyze and make decisions based on my audience and purpose, attempting to publicize my argument in the most productive way.