As I prepare to put together a quick reference guide focusing on the mistreatment and lack of involvement of women in fields of technology, I am delving deeper into the rhetorical situation of this endeavor. Here, I analyze my audience, purpose, and personal interest.
- Analyze your audience. Remember, this project is being designed for an audience of readers/viewers/listeners who would potentially be interested in the specific story you've selected for the project. They're a self-selecting group, based on their interest in the topic.
My article, “Hacking Technology’s Boy’s Club”, was found on New Republic’s website. Based on their about description, they are a progressive journal that “promotes novel solutions for today’s most critical issues”. From this, I might guess that the audience solely for this article is liberal. However, the topic of the small number of women in technology fields brings in a broader range of viewers.
Feminists, technology users, technology workers, as well as others interested in equal rights or technology may have an interest. They might value women’s rights, fair treatment in the workplace, or advancements in technology. However, they may have little sympathy for the men who complain about being “distracted” by the increasing number of women in the workplace.
- Analyze your purpose. So, now that you've thought a little harder about your audience, what do you want your project to do to them? To do for them? How do you want to make them feel? What are the most important elements of this controversy that your audience might miss or misunderstand that you want to be sure to make clear to them? What do you want to make sure your audience knows about the key stakeholders? What should they know about the setting's effect on the controversy? What about the time period's effect on the controversy? What about other key contextual details that you're worried the audience might not understand?
The most important thing about my quick reference guide will be clearly presenting the information about this controversy. While it is important not to show bias, I am quite bias. The persistent discrepancy in the treatment and involvement of women in STEM fields is awful, to say the least. However, I believe the facts speak for themselves.
By simply presenting the information and referencing the different views (logical and absurd) the ridiculousness of the situation will be clear. Showing the actual numbers and sharing the actual stories - unarguable facts - is most important. Knowing the benefit male workers get out of the exclusion of female workers in the field of technology will be similarly important. Likewise, the history of this discrimination and its persistence into the modern workplace will show the necessity for change.
Overall, I think the most frequent misunderstanding (that even I am guilty of) is acting like you know the numbers when you don’t. What is the ratio of men to women in technology fields? How are women treated in technology fields? What are some of the effects of this lack of diversity? These are the misunderstandings I am going to focus on clearing up.
- Analyze your author (that is, yourself). What do you bring to this project that no one else in any of my classes could bring to it? How specifically does this story intersect with your own interests or passions or worldviews? How are you the perfect fit for this story you've selected. Really sell yourself!
I am heavily involved in a nonprofit called Amigos de las Americas. AMIGOS trains high school and college students in the United States, South America, and Central America to go to rural South American and Central American communities to learn about diversity and work on sustainable, asset based, community-driven projects. Currently, I am working on expanding our diversity awareness training to include LGBTQ+ sensitivity. In doing so, I have done extensive research as well as attended two SafeZone trainings. As I have learned more about the necessity for increasing sensitivity, my passion for it has grown.
My desire to increase my own awareness and the awarenesses of others about issues of continued discrimination is growing. By putting together this quick reference guide I am not only fortunate enough to increase the awareness of others but also my own. I know little about technology and little about the treatment of women in the fields of technology. It will be a learning experience for both my audience and myself.
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