Your next essay — the research essay — will involve picking and researching one communication platform/medium. You will be able to choose between letters — which we’ve already discused; texting; platforms like YouTube, instagram, tumblr, and Facebook; and any other platform that is of particular interest to you (I will take suggestions)! You will research the history of the platform of your choice and, in your essay, answer these key research questions:

– how does this medium/platform enrich, and how delimit or diminsh, human communication?

– how does this medium/platform enrich, and how delimit or diminish, artistic expression?

For example, if you were to consider YouTube, you might check who owns it, and how old the platform is; what its censorship guidelines mean for freedom of expression; what the availability of official and fan videos means for musical artists, established and emerging; etcetera.

In regards to writing and literature, here are some links for you to look at while you consider your choice of platform to research: