I do believe there is a slight difference between multimodal and multimedia. While both are very similar, dealing with various forms of communications, multimedia is focused on technology. Multimedia refers to video and sound while multimodal can be anything. It can be a picture, a piece of writing, map, video, audio and anything else we can create. Multimedia is much more limited compared to multimodal.
Response 1
In this passage the White House uses word choice and delivery. The word choice is very supportive and friendly. Phrasings such as “America will stand with Japan” and “our thoughts and prayers remain with the people of Japan” are extremely powerful. It conveys a sense of caring and concern for the Japanese public. Also using the word “friends” is particularly effective. The word has a positive connotation and is not demeaning in any way. The White House also used delivery very skillfully as it seems to be a very well thought out statement as it tries to stay politically correct. They make sure not to use words or phrases that could be misunderstood or confused like the situation with Svanberg calling citizens “small people”.
Response 2
The main differences that caught my eye were the color and the pictures. One profile is green while the other is blue with a tree on the left side. The profile pictures do not just differ because they have different faces, but instead are completely different forms. One woman chose to not show her face and as an alternative placed a cartoon panda as her icon. This may suggest that she is more of a private and perhaps cautious individual either online or/and in her personal life. It suggests that Cheryl may use her Twitter to keep in touch with people she physically knows thus displaying her face, while Kristin may follow other people she does not have intimate contact with. I do have a Twitter profile. I just got it today on account of this class. Since this is the first time I have ever used Twitter, I am still trying to figure it out. At the moment, I just have the default template because I am still learning the site.
Response 3
In the video, there is a clicking sound that reminds me of a snare drum. There are also horns, bells and an upbeat drum. All of these components work together to help the video with transitions and keep focus on the topic. If the music and sounds changed to a bluegrass or country piece, the tone would be completely transformed. The current music and sound effects make the video and the topic seem more futuristic and current. If the music was changed, the video might not be taken seriously. The audience may not understand or be distracted from the information being displayed in the video. It could do more harm than good.
Response 4
The first thing that draws my attention to the WSU web site is the pictures in the middle of the screen. They are big, bright and always changing. The second thing I notice is the Washington State University logo in the top left corner. This text is larger than any of the other texts onscreen, therefore drawing my attention. The way the site is laid out makes the site seem to be more of an advertisement t to prospective students. The pictures that draw the most attention are explaining all the good work that is going on at the university. If the pictures were swapped with the text beneath, the effect would be much different. Your eyes would suddenly be looking at just text. There is no real interest factor. With the pictures, it entices people’s interest, watching as the photos change and discuss different topics. This layout is not particularly user friendly to those who have a specific task in mind, but works well for catching people’s interest who are browsing.
Response 5
The vide I watched was the President addressing the situation in Libya. He keeps his hands on the podium, only moving them to flip a page in his speech. He is very somber as the speech is an important matter. He displays no happy expressions; this includes smiling or relaxed posture. He remains calm and serious, showing no signs of weakness or nervousness. I found his use of the gestural mode effective. If he had laughed and smiled, the seriousness of the situation would have vanished. He would have looked unprofessional. Keeping his movements to a minimum helps the audience to not become distracted and shows that he is in control of his emotions. If the President had used more of the gestural mode, it would have changed the tone of the speech. Too much use of the gestural mode can color a speech in a negative way, showing a little too much emotion about a subject when one is supposed to be calm and rational. The President maintained his composure throughout the speech choosing to use little of the gestural mode.
Great job on this post. Your work on the linguistic and gestural were particularly well done (not that the others aren't, these just stand out). I also think you're spot on about the differences between multimodal and multimedia. That is, modes aren't medium dependent. One can use the linguistic mode on tv, radio, in print, etc etc.
ReplyDeleteNice work on this, keep up the good work.
I agree that the terms multimedia and multimodal are very similar, and the main difference I believe is that multimedia is determined by the materials the subject is made of and multimodal is determined by the effect is given by the linguistic, gestural, spatial cues in the text. All of your responses are good and cover the entire question that is given. I agree with your analyses of the WSU website, President Obama’s speech, and the twitter accounts.
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ReplyDeleteI had compared multimodal to something that combines multiple mediums(art definition being anything that can be used yet it different ie images, text, photos, paint, charcoal, sound, video etc) to get the audience to completely understand the message trying to be portrayed. Although I feel that your definition/summary might be more useful as a real world definition because there seemed limitations and necessary subject knowledge to my interpretations.
ReplyDelete~Alyson