Discourse Communities in the 21st Century

Writing in the 21^st century seems revolutionarily different from previous writing experiences because of the growing community engaging in rhetorical discourse. The advent of word processing systems in conjunction with the proliferation of the personal computer in modern years have contributed to the changing shape and scope of publication, and in turn, audience. The universality of personal computers has revolutionized the writing process.

The rapidly progressing technological climate has expanded the authorial pool from a privileged few to a more inclusive, diverse rhetorical climate. Initially the expense of maintaining a personal computer and word processor precluded mass appeal of the machines. As time passed, however, and technology advanced, the personal computer grew in presence from the sheltered cove of academia to the larger public. The new media emerging as a result of this technological advancement—social networking, forums, ListServs, etc.—foster the communal ideals upon which the World Wide Web is founded. Lloyd Bitzer emphasizes in “The Rhetorical Situation” that discourse functions as a response to different stimuli, or exigences, that invite it. Discourse seeks to correct a misstep in reality, and with the presence of a personal computer in most modern homes, the audience for this discourse bursts wide open.

Beside the ideological expansions the writing community experienced, the physical bounds of community have similarly been redefined in the face of modernization. In the past, the discursive nature of rhetoric has restrained the conversation between a few select individuals. Among older forms of media, constraints on audience shape and size are much easier to account for. Media like personal letters restrained conversation between two parties, and even mass dissemination of information like flyers or pamphlets were restrained by an imperfect physical form. While previous forms of writing experienced limitation by circulation, modern digital and Internet media avoid any such moderation. The open community available at the click of the button has opened the floodgates for discourse all over the world, globalizing the rhetorical process.