Making Numbers “Sticky” and “Mobile”

Posted on by Daniel Libertz Posted in Learning Module Pages

On the “velocity” page of the webtext by Ridolfo and DeVoss, there is a figure in the middle of the page that asks these questions:

  1. Who is interested?
  2. Why do they want to recompose my work?
  3. What will they produce?
  4. How might it be delivered?
  5. How might I work to facilitate this?
  6. What genres and mediums will the works potentially transcend? (e.g., from press release to broadcast news, social media posts,  blog post, print newspaper)
  7. And what will the timespan be for the text(s)? (e.g., how long will the newspaper be in circulation? When does the blog publish posts? When does engagement tend to be highest with a given social media account?)

These are good questions to think about, especially in relation to what positive, neutral, and negative appropriations of your texts that might exist (i..e, what people might use your texts for that either do or don’t serve your campaign goals).

Ridolfo and DeVoss use the example of the press release where a quote goes from that press release to a series of news stories online.

In what ways can we anticipate other people using our texts? And can we anticipate these usages to help us make sure these usages serve our goals (or, at least, do not counter our goals)?

 

Sticky and Mobile Number Examples

This Occupy Wall Street image uses images of people at the bottom of a pyramid with someone with cash at the top of the pyramid. In the center is the number “99%” to represent  the majority of people on the wrong end of income inequality (at the time, this was related to how about 1% of people in U.S. controlled almost half of wealth in the country, which still roughly holds true today).

Note how the image contributes to the meaning of quantity (there are many bodies) but also the meaning of the number the creator wants to express–the bodies are all mangled together, suggesting exploitation, while the person at the top is in a more comfortable and separate position. There is repetition here, too, with the statement “WE ARE THE 99%,” which amplifies the message further and talks to the viewer–you are part of us, with use of “we.” It is a small image and message that is memorable but easy to circulate (this is one of many of these kinds of images and texts that communicated the same message in the early 2010s and continues today)

Take a look at this page from the climate activist group 350: 350.org – Science. Other than the name itself as sticky (a decontextualized rounded number–which represents the parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that would help maintain a health climate for humans and most species on the planet), the organization of this about page communicates interpretations of statistical information directly with each title of the numbered list. In each section, images, charts, color, and text describing quantitative information helps to explain the importance of addressing a changing climate. How this text is organized and how it explicitly communicates interpretations of data helps make it sticky and provides material others can circulate.

The statistic in this tweet by cultural critic Jamelle Bouie helps use quantitative comparison in a compact way to refute another Twitter user’s point about the scale of crime in the U.S. : b-boy bouiebaisse on Twitter: “El Salvador has an intentional homicide rate of 52 per 100,000. The United States has an intentional homicide rate of 4.96 per 100,000, or less than 1/10th. The US is far closer to Iceland’s .89/100K than it is to El Salvador’s rate.” / Twitter. This is also a good example of how someone re-directed rhetorical velocity counter to the original tweet that Bouie is responding to. Bouie uses similar statistics, but better contextualized as a refutation.

As you see, using tools of images, color, organization, comparison, amplification, etc. can help make things “sticky,” but also “mobile” because sticky things are easy to adapt. Furthermore, the size of things (e.g., a tweet) helps. When things are compact, they are easy to share. Other things to consider are file format, resolution of images, etc. that might also impact how your material is taken up.

 

Task

In a comment below, try to find an example text like one of the three I used above. You should try to pick a genre (a “type” of text) like one of the ones that you think you might use in your Campaign for Circulation proposal. It is good to have examples that you can try to imitate.

Find an example text that uses data in its messaging and might be something you can try to imitate in your prototype or describe in one of the text descriptions for your Campaign for Circulation project.

Link to it in a comment below and describe what you think makes it sticky and mobile.

After commenting below, click on the button to continue:

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17 thoughts on “Making Numbers “Sticky” and “Mobile””

  1. Arti says:

    I think this one was very interesting because the left half shows a person that would be deemed educated and gives all the relevant information pertaining to education, and the right half shows an orange suit representing incarceration. I thought this was a great blend of information and separating the two spheres of information through halving the person and what the person represents.

    https://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/uploads/4/8/3/9/4839762/75e210770b6b89a08eb061e7-rw-1920_orig.jpg

  2. Elaine says:

    When I first saw this across different social media platforms, I thought it was really powerful. The drawings are not only unique but shows how creative Asians can be. The statements for each art work is powerful to convey a strong message for standing against anti-Asian hate and calls for unity in the community. I think the art work is refreshing which allows for circulation. From the color used and the attention to detail in each drawing, the viewer can get a lot out of a single image.

    https://gothamtogo.com/public-art-addressing-anti-asian-racism-amanda-phingbodhipakkiya-i-still-believe-in-our-city/

  4. Queen says:

    I found this such a helpful information while doing research. This website includes several interesting visualizations along the article but I think the most impressive and the easiest one to follow is the very top visualization which presented by a pie chart aiming its story straight to the title. The chart includes data of information collected where it shows how many COVID 19 vaccines each country around the world bought. Three different colors at the top of the chart represents the country’s income level in ranking from low to high relevant to the amount of vaccines that the country bought. Countries with high income will tend to purchase more vaccines than countries with lower income.

    https://www.visualcapitalist.com/tracking-covid-19-vaccines-around-the-world/

  5. PRATAP THAPA says:

    I found this creative work on the internet and it catch my eyes based on the topic I am working on for my papers. It speaks about the people of color that are not getting enough health services from the government and local health service provider in the form of art. I rising hands reflects the stand and fight against the equality of health service for every individuals. I am thinking of creating same concept of art for my papers. https://images.app.goo.gl/tr8FphvpsWe4Y2r17

  6. Andrea Flores says:

    The information that I found on this website is very interesting and related to indeed my topic. Although the data set presented on this website is from 2014 to 2019, I would like to follow the way this website is organized, the graphs, the charts, and I found interesting how there are links at the top of the page to go straightforward to the topic, instead of scrolling down the page to go for the part that the reader wants to read.

    https://shezanmirzan.github.io/DataVis-Mental-Health/#consequence_anonymity

  7. Gina DiGiacomo says:

    This tweet uses data in a way this is sticky and mobile. The written tweet is concise and gets the main point across quickly. “Biden, who oversaw the militarization of our police as VP, promised very minor reform by executive order in week one. It never came. Instead, he’s now transferring even more weapons to cops at a faster rate than Trump had been.” The tweet uses data to imply the Biden has been ineffective when it comes to police reform. Comparing Biden to Trump makes it sticky because Trump was the president before Biden, so naturally people are going to love a comparison. It’s mobile because tweets are easy to either re-tweet or screenshot and post to other platforms or send via text. The use of the images beneath the text also make it sticky because many people are visual and conceptualize things better with photos or graphs instead of text.
    https://twitter.com/WaitingOnBiden/status/1387767944202043400

  10. MAHIMA KHANEJA says:

    The Heineken advertisement uses emotional appeal and a short video, which is sharable on different platforms. The advertisement targets adults who hail from different backgrounds. Although the video is an alcohol advertisement, it addresses issues that the youth face in today’s community, including diversity and discrimination. People judge one another according to physical characteristics, yet human issues and challenges are universal. The advertisement shows that the company supports inclusivity and wants people to ignore their physical differences. This advertisement is an example of media volatility because it addresses a societal issue, and it is sharable on different social platforms.
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etIqln7vT4w

    1. Daniel Libertz says:

      That’s cool, Lynden. Scrolling through each image tells a story and makes you recalibrate your interpretation. The repetitive language also amplifies how that added context tells a story of oppression.

  12. KEMBPELL PORCENAT says:

    https://www.visualcapitalist.com/crime-rate-perception-gap/
    This article provides ample data visuals comparing the rate of crime vs public perception. In certain times and locations, the public overestimates the rate the crime, in other circumstances, the opposite is true. Total violent crime in the United States, as a whole, has been trending downward. When claims of violent offenses is increasing or decrease is uttered, it is important to ask in which specific cities, counties, or municipalities do we see an uptick, flattening or increase.

  13. Leonida H. says:

    I choose this article that dissects the realities of the gender pay gap and offers many subcategories of the great effects of the gender pay gap with visuals. Showing the slow progress of change over the years, compared to top earners, all race and ethnicities compared, emphasis on black and hispanic women lowest earnings in comparison, the gender pay gap amongst immigrant women, hourly wages being lower, women with children/families decrease in comparison to men, women earning less at every education level, the pay difference varying by area, and so many more examples of women earning less than men in so many aspects and categories. One thing that stood out to me that i have done further research on when creating solutions for my social issue was women being placed in unions to provide protection that could help close the gender gap and this article provided visual evidence of women having a smaller pay gap when placed in unions.
    https://www.epi.org/publication/what-is-the-gender-pay-gap-and-is-it-real/

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