How Technology Frames Reality Speech Analysis

Art That Reveals How Technology Frames Reality Speech Analysis

Roman philosopher Cicero, in De Inventione, argues that there are five tenets of the rhetoric of effective communication. Originally, these tenets were created with a focus on oration and public speaking, even though some are also applicable to different stages of the writing process. These are invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. The invention is the process of coming up with what to say to persuade the audience about your view (University of Arkansas, 2019). This stage involves brainstorming in the pre-writing stage of preparing what the presentation should entail. Jiabao Li’s TED Talk “Art that reveals how technology frames reality” focuses on how technology mediates how we perceive reality (TED Talks, 2019). She states, “And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how technology mediates the way we perceive reality. And it’s being done in a super invisible and nuanced way” (TED Talks, 2019). From this statement, she expresses that this has been the dominant area of focus and what she intended to talk about during the presentation.

The arrangement tenet involves structuring the content to relay the message in a riveting manner. Today, the common material order is in three phases: introduction, body, and conclusion. Cicero’s classical arrangement had five stages: introduction, state neutral facts, make your case, refute alternative facts, make your case, refute contrary opinions, and conclusion of the presentation (University of Arkansas, 2019). Li adopts the three-stage arrangement of her presentation. The introduction establishes her identity and occupation and the topic she wishes to address during the presentation “I’m an artist and an engineer. And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how technology mediates the way we perceive reality” (TED Talks, 2019). The body elaborates on the difference between interacting in real-life compared to using digital media, which can be misguided. For example, she states, “Our perception is not only part of our identities, but in digital media, it’s also a part of the value chain” (TED Talks, 2019). Here she argues for interventions in design that individuals can take to avoid their perception from the impacts of technology mediating the perception of reality.

The style involves the selection of a palatable language for the message and the audience. The presenter also designs the rhetorical triage of their presentation, which is achieved through emotive language and rhetorical devices, such as analogies (University of Arkansas, 2019). Li employees official but accessible language without heavy use of technological jargon. For example, she uses an analogy of using glasses on a daily which is relatable or understandable to the audience “Take the glasses I usually wear, for example. These have become part of the way I ordinarily experience my surroundings. I barely notice them, even though they are constantly framing reality for me” (TED Talks, 2019). This style makes the material accessible by using official language since TED is a learning platform, and using an analogy makes the concepts understandable.