Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions

Joseph P. Chapline is considered to be one of the first technical writers, having written in 1949 the first ever user manual for the Binary Automatic Computer (BINAC), an early personal computer.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Malone |first=Ed |date=2008 |title=Joseph D. Chapline: Technical Communication's Mozart |url=https://web.mst.edu/~malonee/chapline.pdf |magazine=<i>IEEE Professional Communication Society Newsletter</i> |access-date=October 31, 2023 |ref=harv }}.</ref> In the 1950s, technical writing as a distinct profession began to take shape when technical writers founded formal organizations, academic programs, and conferences dedicated to the art. One of these key writing associations was the Association of Technical Writers and Editors, also formed in the 1950s. Several of these groups eventually merged, forming the Society of Technical Communication in 1960.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Edward |first1=Malone |date=November 2011 |title=The First Wave (1953–1961) of the Professionalization Movement in Technical Communication |url=https://www.stc.org/techcomm/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/08/november-2011-58-4.pdf |journal=Technical Communication |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=285 - 306 |doi= |access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref>

Rhetoric is a communication strategy whose primary goal is to persuade an audience. It is grounded in three foundational concepts first defined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. These concepts are ''logos'', which engages with the reader’s sense of logic or reason; ''pathos'', which appeals to the reader’s emotions; and ''ethos'', which addresses the audience’s values and the writer’s credibility. Within this framework, writers utilize specific techniques or devices to influence and engage readers. Examples include appealing to an audience’s sense of logic by using factual examples to support a point or evoking emotion through descriptive visual language. <ref>{{cite book |last=Gagich |first=Melanie |title=Writing Arguments in Stem |publisher=Digital Commons |date=n.d. |chapter=Rhetorical Appeals: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos Defined |url=https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=oercoursematerials#page=44 |pages=34-37 |ref=harv }}</ref>

In today’s digital age, writers can use digital technologies as rhetorical devices to influence the reader. Electronic images and informational graphics can be incorporated into digital and online documents to illustrate or reinforce points made in the text.<ref name=":3" /> Hyperlinks can be used to provide additional information that supports the author's ideas. Nevertheless, the writer's basic task of informing and persuading an audience is the same in digital communication as in other forms of writing.<ref>{{cite book |last=Devos |first=Danielle |date=2010 |title=Because Digital Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Online and Multimedia Environments |location=San Francisco |publisher=Jossey-Bass |pages=105 |isbn=9780470892237 |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL34593323M/Because_Digital_Writing_Matters |ref=harv }}</ref>

}}</ref> One such program is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT ChatGPT], which uses machine learning to produce texts with human-like style and tone. <ref>{{cite web

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}}</ref> Another leader in this area, Contentbot, uses a  WordPress plugin which gives blog writers ideas to enhance their posts which are shared via email. <ref>Siddiqui, Zafar (January 2022). "Will Best Artificial Intelligence Take Over any Technical Content Writer?" The Writing Cooperative. https://writingcooperative.com/intricacies-of-ai-tools-can-ai-tools-take-over-the-jobs-of-technical-writers-af36836f625c</ref>

 

 

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