25 Chapter 18: Digital Composition and Multimodal Texts
25 Chapter 18: Digital Composition and Multimodal Texts
Almost every aspect of our communication is in some way, digitally based. To be a writer in the 21st century means that you are a digital composer. Digital composition involves writing based in digital creation that incorporates multimodal elements. But digital composition goes beyond the standard essay typed into a word processor—it includes using other digital tools and elements to explore the topic and persuade your audience.
To begin with, most digital texts are considered multimodal. In this chapter, we will discuss multimodality within the digital composition realm, but you should know that multimodal texts can be created without a digital device.
What Are Multimodal Texts?
Multimodal texts utilize sensory elements to further their rhetorical purpose and persuade an audience. These elements can include audio, visual, and/or physical. You can create a multimodal text using a digital technology tool, but you can also create a multimodal text by hand as well. The following are some examples of digital multimodal composition:
- Infographic
- YouTube video
- Podcast
- Website
- Blog
- Text message
- Word Document
And since we’re looking at types of multimodal texts, let’s also look at some examples of multimodal composition that take place outside of the digital realm:
- Collage
- Poster
- Speech
- Sculpture
- Painting
- Architectural models
The following video, developed for the Arizona State University writing program, discusses how multimodal composition applies to first-year composition courses.
Why Use Digital Composition and Multimodal Texts?
Since our world communicates mostly through digital means, learning how to compose in a digital environment is key to success not only in school but also in your current and future jobs and as a member of society.
In addition to multimodal assignments preparing you for your future writing endeavors, multimodal assignments also allow students to use what they know. Melanie Gagich, in her essay “An Introduction to and Strategies for Multimodal Composing,” writes that students already have knowledge of multimodal composition. She writes in her essay, “Understanding that you are already composing multimodally in many digital spaces will help you transfer that knowledge and experience into your academic assignments. This understanding might also help alleviate any fears or anxiety you may have when confronted with an assignment that disrupts what you think writing should look like” (Gagich 74). If creating a multimodal text seems new to you, chances are you already have an applied understanding of multimodality, just by virtue of living and socializing in the 21st century.
Gagich continues and writes:
Perhaps the most significant reason for learning how to compose multimodally is that it provides “real-life” skills that can help prepare students for careers. The United States continues to experience a “digital age” where employees are expected to hav