Q: To what extent can you see the "complicated intersections" of genre and the "irrational/logical" explanations play out in the public sphere, especially as that sphere "works" online (in blogs, websites, news sites, etc.)?
I'd say that genres are definitely mixed all the time within various spheres online. I do consider various media different genres, as they require such different approaches to be handled correctly. Film has certain do's and don't's that might intersect with those of writing an essay, but they don't perfectly coincide. The same goes for other mediums as well. And you really don't have any other field that combines so many different mediums/genres like you do on the internet. Blogs might use a video, or a chunk of text, or even combine the two. Podcasts often rely completely on sound so tone and and timbre become the forefront and other aspects are ignored. Photography is another big one that has a significant role online that is used in conjunction with many other genres but is also very capable of evoking a lot all by itself. And just as these various mediums serve as genres in their own right, each of them as its own independent sphere has many sub-genres inherent within them.
I'm almost tempted to argue that irrational explanations almost outweigh the logical (just look at Youtube comments or any responses to a political blog). However, that would be unfair as there is a lot of well thought out and intellectual material present as well. While there are occasions where the logical and irrational very much beat each other down into such a state that neither is worth digging through for meaning, sometimes the tension between them creates the possibility of discovering a new angle, switching sides, or even finding evidence to support your original thoughts.
Q: How might we productively and deliberately use different genres (and rational/irrational explanations) online to help us portray the "truth" of an ongoing situation?
I think that the combination of irrational and rational explanations is the only way that we can really discover the truth of a situation. Just like you can't really claim that a certain store has the best price in town for a product if you haven't, indeed, encountered the prices offered from any other stores. Irrational explanations might help motivate (rather by stirring anger or more positive passions) whereas logical explanations will help strengthen causes and direct the flow of emotion. Sometimes pictures and videos can do more than just the written word. Seeing a starved child withering away is much more effective to most people than just encountering a sentence that attempts to describe it. Occasionally a song might be better suited to rally people to a cause than a few pictures could. Oftentimes more viable evidence can be provided in an essay or report than any tune could carry. They are tools that can work independently or together. There is almost never a right tool for any single occasion, but rather it depends on the artist crafting the communication.
The truth is almost never wholly revealed by any one source. Rather, it is by the combination of varied communications that we, as receptors of the truth, can begin to paint its image more clearly.
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