CAUSAL ANALYSIS
CAUSAL ANALYSIS
Rita J. King is the executive vice president of Science House, a creative consultancy that connects science and business and funds science and math education projects for kids. King previously worked as a futurist at the National Institute of Aerospace and speaks internationally about creative collaboration. In this essay, King reflects on her own uses of Twitter and highlights the innovative ways others have used the platform.
Reading the Genre
Question
1. Look for Twitter feeds that you think use Twitter as a “tool” in an innovative way, and discuss these examples in relation to King’s essay. For instance, does the feed use Twitter’s limitations to its advantage, or does it find a way to work around them?
Question
2. Is the medium of Twitter actually “remaking us”? Are there ways that you think or interact differently because of Twitter? How will social media sites like Twitter change the shape of your future relationships and your future career?
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3. WRITING: Consider turning your answer to question 2 into a full causal analysis essay. How has Twitter changed politics? Personal relationships? Marketing and advertising? Celebrity culture? For an example causal analysis, you can look online for several articles showing how Twitter has allowed people to make specific stock market predictions.
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4. MULTIMODALITY — TWITTER REWRITE: How would you write King’s essay over Twitter? Limit yourself to writing just ten to fifteen key 140-