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| “If you aren’t given a lot of time to speak, talk fast.” That was my motto going into this project, which was completed as part of my experience at the Digital Media and Composition institute this past summer. “Authentic Design” is an attempt to convey a sense of playfulness and frustration, along with a hefty warning to digital writing scholars: We need to understand that meaning is not inherent in our tools (writing, media, ideas, language) nor does meaning reside in ourselves. Rather, it exists in the space between our tools, ourselves, and each other—in the space of design. This piece makes a case for how dangerous it is to think about media affordances without thinking about the systems of activity in which they take place. Or, to put it another way, the next time you want a tasty burrito from an “authentic” Mexican restaurant, consider what the rhetorical purpose is of that media selling you a burrito, a restaurant, or a concept of authenticity. For more on the process of composing this piece, see my DMAC blog. —Douglas Walls Douglas M. Walls is a PhD student in the Rhetoric and Writing program at Michigan State University and research assistant for the Writing in Digital Environments (WIDE) Center. His research interests focus on identity as informatics and knowledge work; the design of decolonial networked semiotic systems and new media, especially in composition classrooms; and distributed user-centered design and usability in writing assessment tools and research. ReferencesBonello, Deborah, & Johnson, Reed. (2008, April 3). Mexico reconquers California? Absolut drinks to that! LA Times Blogs: La Plaza. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2008/04/mexico-reconque.html Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. (1996). Rethinking racism: Toward a structural interpretation. American Sociological Review, 62, 465-480. Elena777. (2006, January 8). Over 99 billion served. flickr. Retrieved June 27, 2008, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/elena777/84275236/ Jasinski, James. (2001). Sourcebook on rhetoric: Key concepts in contemporary rhetorical studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. katelyn17. (2007, March 27). chicken wrap 3. flickr. Retrieved June 27, 2008, from http://flickr.com/photos/93757870@N00/437119759/ Morley, David, & Chen, Kuan-Hsing (Eds.). (1996). Stuart Hall: Critical dialogues in cultural studies. New York: Routledge. Spurr, David. (1993). The rhetoric of empire: Colonial discourse in journalism, travel writing, and imperial administration. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Villanueva, Victor. (2007, February 22). Rhetorics of racism. Presented at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Wikipedia Foundation. (2008, June 27). Mexican-American War. Retrieved June 27, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_american_war Wikipedia Foundation. (2008, June 28). Ohio. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio Wikipedia Foundation. (2008, June 28). Ritchie Valens. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchie_Valens |