Genre: What kind of multimodal text is it?

Not only do people encounter multimodal texts every day, but they also create them every day. Personal photo albums with captions, slide shows with images and audio voiceover, social media posts with images and words—these are just a few common genres of multimodal composition. Different genres afford a composer different opportunities for sharing and shaping a message.

For example, someone who wants to provide categories and subcategories of information might build an informative website, especially if the material doesn’t need to be viewed in a particular sequence. If the order of information is essential, the composer might choose instead to create an informative video, to ensure that no one views the material out of order.

When you’re analyzing multimodal compositions, identify the genre and ask yourself why the composer chose that genre. The chart shows common genres of multimodal compositions.

Common genres of multimodal compositions

Related topics:

Features: Which modes are represented? How do they function?

Purpose and audience: Why and for whom is the multimodal text created?

Meaning: What effect does the composition have on the viewer?