Discourse Community Comparison: Twitter Vs. ENG 111-06 (Final Draft)

7/28/2019 Discourse Community Comparison: Twitter Vs. ENG 111-06 (Final Draft)

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Conley 1Nathan Conley

Megan Keaton

ENG 11106

8 July 13

Discourse Community Comparison: Twitter Vs. English 111-06

The term discourse community sounds as though it is some sort of complicated, technical

term reserved for high societal circles, who gather together in their sprawling dens to solve the

worlds most critical problems. However, in reality, a discourse community is much more

simple. John Swales, in his article entitled The Concept of Discourse Community, defines it

merely as a group of people who share certain language-using practices. Furthermore, Swales

outlines a set of six guidelines, which each specific discourse community contains: Shared goals,

mechanisms of interpersonal communication, a purpose for that communication, different style,

or genres, of communication, a specialized vocabulary and members possessing different levels

of expertise. Again, it all sounds incredibly technical, but whether people are aware of it or not,

they most likely take part in several discourse communities on a daily basis. Discourse

communities can take several shapes and forms, ranging anywhere from Book Clubs to Biology

classes. However, the two discourse communities that will be the central focus here both use a

form of written language, and those are Twitter and English Class 11106 at Central Piedmont

Community College.

Social media has revolutionized the way people communicate. At the forefront of that

revolution is Twitter. Since its inception in 2006, Twitter now has over 554 million members

and each day, approximately 135,000 new members sign up. Needless to say, its incorporation

into everyday life is becoming more and more commonplace.


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Conley 2The 554 million members of this vastly expanding community consist of all different

types of people, from all different walks of life, from all over the globe. Anyone is free to join.

The only requirement is Internet access. One must simply go to Twitter.com and create a

username and password. Once a member of the Twitter community, one can design their profile,

by uploading a profile picture, choosing a background pattern and writing a quick descriptive bio

in order to set it apart from the rest of the members of the group. Within that expansive group,

there are two main constituents paramount to the Twitter community: People one chooses to

follow (Following) and people who choose to follow that person in return (Followers) . The

interesting thing about this group is that it can consist of anyone from friends, to family, to co-

workers to complete strangers. Following another member presents the potential to create a

dialogue with that individual. Others can also join in on this dialogue at any point. Its a very

public format to share very personal views. Nothing is off limits. However, if someone is

offended by anything that is said, they have the ability to block that person, which ceases all

means of communication from that particular individual. Sports fans make up a huge

contingency of the aforementioned followers in this particular community and Twitter is

becoming a more popular meeting place for these people to gather and follow their passion.

The goal of the Twitter community is to share a forum where an individual has the ability

to electronically post any immediate thoughts, opinions or reactions to whatever may be

occurring on a public platform thats accessible by all other members of Twitter. It provides a

chance to find other members with similar likes or dislikes and promotes interaction based on

those connections. When sports fans hear news regarding their favorite player, or favorite team,

their reactions can be posted immediately for all to see. These can then be discussed amongst

that specific group of members and either be agreed with or argued against at this point. The


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Conley 3language might vary based on personal relationships between fellow followers. If there is

familiarity, then a more comfortable and informal language is most likely a more suitable form

of communication. Sports writers, who can be included in this group, also use Twitter as a forum

to release news specific to whichever team they cover. They can also include hyperlinks with

descriptions, which will take sports fans to their work.

The primary genre of writing in this setting is called a tweet. This is a statement

composed of 140 total characters or less. If it contains more than 140 characters, Twitter will not

allow one to share that particular opinion. There is not a set of rules that regulate what the tweet

must include, only that it must not be longer than 140 characters (this includes all letters, spaces

and punctuation).

The language of the tweets can be formal or informal, as referenced earlier, depending on

the subject matter and whomever the intended audience is. Sports fans generally choose a more

informal language to conduct their discourse. If fans of the same sports team engage in a debate,

the chatter will most likely have a friendly tone. On the other hand, if two fans who cheer for

rival teams engage in a debate, the language might have a much different tone and could become

volatile. Yet, that is perfectly acceptable, and actually one of the greatest features of the site

these fans may not have ever had the opportunity to argue if it were not for the forum that

Twitter provides. Another appealing characteristic of Twitter, and undoubtedly a contributing

factor to its growing popularity, is the complete freedom from constraints on the content and

context of the designated language. The author of the thought is the sole authority in determining

the guidelines of each specific tweet. As long as one has something that can be summed up in

140 characters or less, theres a place for it on Twitter.


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Conley 4There have been a number of terms already discussed that are not necessarily unique to

the Twitter community, but have specific meaning within it; for example Followers and

Following. These are part of a very specialized vocabulary that is very important in this

discourse community. Hashtag is represented by a pound symbol (#), placed directly in front

of a word, which provides a way for members to track certain topics or them and see what is

trending on Twitter. For instance, The San Antonio #Spurs blew out the Miami #Heat in Game

3 of the #NBAFinals is an example of this principal being used correctly. Anyone looking for

topics associated to any of those three things can easily find any tweets related to them. Handle

is another vocabulary term that holds a specific meaning in the Twitter community. This is the

name by which you are identified within the community. Its represented by an @ symbol,

followed by your particular name, i.e. @NathanConley. Plenty of other terms exist, but these are

the basics.

Because there is such a large group of existing members, combined with the fast-growing

nature of Twitter, the level of experience among its members varies greatly. Generally speaking,

the more Followers one member has, the more credible and more established that person is on

Twitter. Within the sports fans group, this couldnt be more representative of that specific

community. The members range from casual sports fans, to the most crazed fanatics, all the way

up to professional sports journalists. The more familiar one becomes with community and the

more each member establishes their self, the more status they achieve within the community by

gaining more followers. Its not unlike many other social hierarchies witnessed in everyday

society.

The journey from the vast, open space of the Twittersphere moves now to the second

comparative discourse community, located in Room 217 of the Overcash building on the humble


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Conley 5campus of Central Piedmont Community College, where a group of 24 individuals meet every

Monday though Thursday, from 7:30am to 8:45 am, in what is formally referred to as ENG 111-

06. Twenty-three diligent students and one brave professor make up this closer-knit collection of

scholars, with the singular goal in mind of becoming effective writers, using the English

language. Despite the smaller size of the group, the members still come from all different walks

of life with all sorts of different experiences and backgrounds. The one common thread is

geographical, in that all members of the class currently reside within a reasonable travelling

distance from the CPCC campus, in order to make it feasible to attend this class four days out of

the week.

To gain access into this community as a student, one must be officially enrolled at

Central Piedmont community college and then sign up for the class, ensuring that the time of the

class is suitable for his or her schedule and also must make sure the class has not exceeded the

maximum number of students allowed, which is 30 for this particular class.

The roles of the two constituents of this community are the instructor, or professor, and

those who wish to learn from that instruction, the students. The professor is placed in charge of

the students based her level of education and experience with the language. This status also

allows her to dictate the guidelines of the course that she deems necessary for the students to

learn while under her tutelage.

Part of that responsibility is determining a genre of writing that can most effectively

accomplish this goal in the classroom setting. This time around the genre will be much more

advanced, but also much more common: Papers. The students will participate in a series of three

papers, covering three completely different subjects. The purpose of these is to apply what is

learned in class. The professor will then assess the papers to see if they fulfill the set of


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Conley 6requirements outlined for the specific assignment and then calculate how effective they were

within that structure.

These papers are not only regulated by the statutes implemented by the professor, but are

also governed by the conventions of the English language. The purpose of these papers is also to

ensure the students grasp the concepts being discussed within the classroom and are able to

present those ideas clearly in their own words. A moral clause must also be factored into the

equation, as students are not allowed to utilize other peoples work without properly citing it.

Different writing styles may exist within the parameters of this genre, but all must still meet the

general guidelines that were just defined. The length, format and structure are other elements that

must adhere to the specific instructions of the professor.

Although there may not be specific vocabulary uncommon to people outside of this

community within the paper itself, there are terms alluded to within the confines of the classroom

that the general public would not be privy to. Moodle is an example ofthis specific language.

It is an electronic program utilized by the professor and designed to provide easier access to all

of the course materials, assignments and other pertinent information via the Internet.

Finally, the level of expertise found within the four walls of Room 217 that comprise

ENG 111-06 is just as variable as the appearance of the individuals. The students range from

first-semester novices to students of continuing education with several semesters already under

their belt, and all sorts of students in between. There is one expert among the ranksthe

professor. And while it is her goal to hopefully impart the knowledge necessary for all her

students to one day be considered experts as well, the fact is each is currently at different levels

of that pursuit. But that eclectic level experience, within the group, is what contributes to its

success, helps serve its primary function and creates an interesting educational environment that


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Conley 7accepts all its members. Its certainly not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. Then again,

no community isnot even Twitter.

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Discourse Community Comparison: Twitter Vs. ENG 111-06 (Final Draft)