I received a bad mark for this paper I wrote for WRS 101, and I feel like the criticisms don't make sense. She also docked me a mark for missing an in class activity (I did not), and wrote that I significantly improved from my last essay, but gave me the exact same mark. Feedback/grade at bottom.
My Name
Professor name
WRS 101, B1
14/08/26
The argument for social media; how digital platforms evolved writing
Pop culture nor social media–– as a facet of pop culture–– is “Killing Writing”.
Online pop culture has inspired more young people than ever before to become writers, to create online spaces–– like Letter boxed, Sub stack, and even Youtube channels–– where they can express their perspective and engage with the media they consume more deeply. More and more young people today do for fun, what would’ve only been considered homework 20 years ago. In this paper I will focus on three platforms in particular: Letter Boxed, Substack, and Youtube video essays.
Letter Boxed is a social media platform dedicated to the discussion of films. User posts vary from brief movie reviews, to deeper, more explorative film analysis. Either way, Letter Boxed encourages the practice of critical analytical skills in both the viewing, and the writing about a film.
My second example (Sub stack), is a blogging and newsletter sharing application, that also allows writers to monetize self-published articles without the use of a traditional publication. Although it is a newer platform, substack is quickly growing in popularity, especially among those who wish to share longer posts exploring complex topics. Regardless of what you post, Sub stack is an example of a platform that can engage users in writing long format intentional pieces, about any topic that interests them.
Lastly I want to highlight a specific sub-culture of youtube channels within the larger platform, Video essay channels. Each of these platforms (Letter Boxed, Substack, Youtube video essays) is an example of a non short-form content social media platform, that encourages slow meaningful consumption, deep interaction, and does not exhibit the addictive qualities of so called “scrolling” platforms such as: Tik Tok, Instagram reels, and even Twitter (the latter being a mostly text based example). The nature of short-form platforms means that users have superficial engagements with content and spend less time with individual posts. This entails moving quickly from one thing to the next, while never fully processing the information being presented or having a meaningful interaction.
There has been an ongoing conversation about the harm social media has done, from negatively affecting users' mental health, and contributing to declining literacy rates, to fostering short attention spans and eroding critical thinking skills. While there is evidence to support some of these claims, like the deleterious mental health effects associated with the over consumption of short form content (also known as “doom scrolling” or "dopamine scrolling”)- both defined here by the National Library of Medicine; “Unlike doom-scrolling, which focuses on negative content dopamine-scrolling seemingly operates through reward mechanisms and variable reinforcement schedules, making it a unique and potentially habit-forming behaviour” (Sharpe, Spooner 3). Research shows that the concern over shortened attention spans, and declining literacy are over exaggerated. In popular culture is killing writing Mitchell Stephens calls this the “perpetual literacy crisis that are (is) remarkably consistent decade after decade” (Stephans 195). As for the panic around attention span decline; in 2015, Time magazine published an article on a study done by Microsoft Canada claiming that humans now have the attention span that of a goldfish. Many people have looked into this report on attention spans, and have been unable to find any record of the research from any of the institutions Microsoft cited as its source for the findings. “(W)hen I (He) contact(ed) the listed sources - the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the US National Library of Medicine, and the Associated Press - neither can find any record of research that backs up the stats” (Maybin 10). Of course, the lack of evidence to support the “goldfish attention span” claim has not stopped sensationalist media publications from spreading it around ever since. And according to an article published by nature; “Overall, there are no convincing data from controlled lab tests to support the idea that people have become less able to concentrate because the capacity of attention is being degraded over time” (Adam 14). I believe that the perception of a “shorter attention span”, is the result of a disproportionate use of short form social media platforms, over those featuring long form formats. Like anything else, longer engagement endurance (i.e. attention span) comes with practice. Making the switch from short-form to long-form social media can be hugely beneficial in lessening the side effects individuals experience from “doom-scrolling” or “dopamine-scrolling”. Sitting with a single topic or video allows you the time necessary to fully engage with the information that is being presented, and the ability to derive deeper meaning from the material. Again, this is a matter of habit, not a crisis of brain deterioration or mental decline, as many would have you believe.
Long form content based social media platforms are the focus of my defence in the case against the notion that “Pop Culture is Killing Writing”. It is my belief that of the valid criticisms against social media and pop culture, most neglect to acknowledge positive alternative modes of content, such as those I have cited above–– the strongest case of which I believe to be Youtube video essays. I want to distinguish here a “video essay” from a Youtube video essay. The term video essay dates back to the 1940’s, and was coined by Hans Richter. “Video essay” has since been used to refer to a wide variety of different styles of video, each varying in the use of visual and auditory media, and each associated with its own definition of what exactly a “video essay” is. For the purposes of this essay I will be defining a Youtube video essay as a formally written essay produced through video format, accompanied by the narration of the essay either through post production vocal overlay, or through the native audio of a video recording of the creator in front of the camera. The video should include both supplementary visual media such as photos or video clips that are used as either sources for analysis, or serving the purposes of artistic effect. The video essay must follow any formally structured essay format, so long as it is inclusive of a clearly established thesis, a body of supporting evidence, and a conclusion.
A Youtube video essay is not only a creative outlet that has engaged countless young people in research and writing, but is also potentially an educational tool that could be used in classrooms. Bromwyn Williams argues in Pop Culture is Killing writing, that there is an intersection between rhetorical skills taught in the classroom, and the Rhetorical skills students learn through the consumption of pop culture. Humans have the innate ability of passive pattern recognition, it is a survival mechanism to notice the trends that exist around us; as such, students begin to form an understanding of concepts such as: style, genre, audience, character trope, authorial presence, collaboration, and remix–– as is noted by Williams–– all before they have the technical vocabulary to accompany them. Williams explains that educators should take students’––pop culture informed–– rhetorical and literary backgrounds into account in the classroom; “If we help students understand and articulate the knowledge they have learned from popular culture in terms of audience, genre, and style, it is easier to get them to consider how all writing works within particular genre conventions” (Williams 197).
Having established the potential benefit of pop culture in education, we should now consider the impact that the growing popularity of video essays has on a student's educational background (i.e. as it pertains to literary and rhetorical understanding). Distinct from other forms of pop culture, video essays exist in a unique space between formal academic content and pop culture content. Video essays can serve as an educational precursor on not only the topics explored in the essay, but also on essay writing itself. Forms of pop culture other than Youtube video essays, passively inform the viewer on rhetorical concepts- “Students learn a tremendous amount about rhetoric and communication from their engagement with popular culture, most notably about rhetorical concepts such as genre, audience, and style. When researchers talk with students about their popular culture reading, the students talk knowledgeably and even critically about these rhetorical aspects. Students may talk about a romantic comedy in terms of genre conventions, for example, discussing the kinds of character types that typically show up, whether as protagonists or sidekicks” (Williams 197).
Youtube video essays, in addition to being passively informative, can also be actively informative. Take for example a Youtube video essay about harmful stereotypes that are perpetuated through character tropes in film and television, this is directly informative about genre convention and character style. As for how Youtube video essays may be beneficial for teaching formal writing, rather than simply describing the building blocks of an introductory paragraph, students may be shown a video essay–– a format with which they are already familiar–– and asked to identify the different elements, such as the thesis of the essay, or the key arguments. Drawing from and building upon a student’s pre-existing knowledge of structured essays and rhetoric in formal instruction on these topics, would make the formal writing curriculum more accessible to students.
In conclusion, pop culture not only inspires youth to write, but it provides platforms to do so, and also creates better writers. We should not discount all social media simply because there are platforms that are inherently flawed with regard to fostering a shallow relationship with the content we consume, and or the derivation of deeper meaning of subject matter (ex: short form platforms such as Tik Tok). Many social media platforms have been enormously beneficial to young writers (e.g. platforms such as Youtube video essays). Given that users often make informed decisions on which platforms they frequent, choosing to consume and create content meaningfully and comprehensively –– pop culture only positively contributes to the craft of writing, and in no way poses a threat of “killing” it.
Works Cited
Williams, Bronwyn. “Popular Culture is Killing Writing”. Bad Ideas About Writing, edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe, West Virginia University Libraries, 2017, pp. 194–201.
Sharpe, Benjamin. Spooner, Rylee. “Dopamine-scrolling: a modern public health challenge requiring urgent attention”. *Perspectives in Public Health,*National Library of Medicine, Sage Journals, 2025, par.(3), Ver.(145), vol.(4), doi:(10.1177/17579139251331914).
Maybin, Simon. “Busting the attention span myth”. BBC World Service, BBC, 2017, par.(10), doi:(https://www.bbc.com/news/health-38896790).
Adam, David. “Are attention spans really shrinking? What the science says”. News Feature, Nature, 2026, par.(14), doi:(https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01407-w).
Rubric for Paper 2
| Strong | Good | Needs work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content: | |||
| Sense of direction (or thesis) is clearly expressed Writer discusses something specific and relevant to WRS 101 | X paper needs a thesis | ||
| Writer provides precise and relevant examples to discuss the topic | X | ||
| Writer builds ideas logically with a clear progression and addend insight Writer actively engages with scholarly sources and demonstrates understanding of the sources and their significance to the writer’s work | X X | X X | |
| Organization: | |||
| Writer uses appropriate pattern of organization (logic) | X | ||
| Genre is obvious to the reader and the writer demonstrates awareness of context, audience and disciplinary expectations | X | ||
| Concepts: | |||
| Writer demonstrates evidence of incorporating WRS 101 related concepts/ discussions/ lectures into the work | X | ||
| Requirements and Mechanics | |||
| Evidence of substantive revision through drafts and feedback incorporation Drafts progress substantially | X | X X | |
| Grammar and punctuation do not impede reader’s ability to understand the paper | X | ||
| Writer completed and submitted all drafts on time and actively participated in all Paper 2 related activities | YES | ||
| Sources are of scholarly nature and are documented properly using MLA or APA style; | X | X Entries need to be in alphabetical order and second lines indented. | |
| Grade: C+ (69%) Summative comments: This paper is definitely an improvement on your first paper. But there are still several unclearly expressed thoughts throughout. A full thesis would have helped to guide the reader. Some of your sources are not placed into the paper stylistically or grammatically and lack analysis (we talked about this in my office), so it’s difficult to figure out how you are connecting them. A rigorous proofreading would have also helped this paper with clarity and audience awareness. I like this paper and I would encourage you to keep working on your writing as you have interesting things to share with your readers. | |||
| Contract grade: B+ (85%) Inksheds: strong good satisfactory incomplete Drafts all submitted and on time: YES Participation in discussion, high-stakes workshops and class activities: strong good satisfactory incomplete Missed _1__out of 32 class activities |
(EDIT) Also for context I am extremely vocal in class discussions, I answer questions, and I participate fully in class activities. I don't know why she seems to not like me, because it didn't really seem that way in class. I did mention being gay in one of my first writing activities and I wonder if that had any impact.