Cellphone Genre Change

The attached advertisement, designed for print and translated into an Internet promotion as well, represents the translation of the audio material advertising a new "smart cell phone" into new genres. The selected "text" or material is the now ubiquitous cell phone that combines many functions in a single device - traditional voice calling capacity, text messaging, a camera capable of both still and video pictures, Internet access with email, a word processing program, a calendar, address book, and many of the functions normally associated with a desktop computer system.

The purpose of this essay is to offer an academic analysis of the impact of such a genre transformation, one in which the attached materials are indicative of innovative use of the Internet and the print media (a magazine advertisement) to promote a new hand-held electronic device. A genre is a classifying statement that is characterized by having what Shepherd and Watters (2005) call similar content and form where content refers to themes and topics and form captures similar observable physical and linguistic features.

Shepherd and Watters (2004) commented on genre changes particularly in the context of the Internet and noted that

Cyber genre is characterized by content form and functionality. As the attached advertisement to be posted online indicates, many of the same elements that are found in print are easily translated to the Internet although a major transformation is reflected in the a

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kow (2007) suggests that this new generation of phones is actually miniature computers that contain substantially more storage capacity than previous generations of such phones. In addition, they contain high speed wireless connectivity options that may make earlier cell phone prototypes less desirable, particularly for business travelers who are anxious to rid themselves of even a lightweight laptop computer. What matters is that two genre changes are taking place here. First, the cell phone is becoming more like a computer than a simple voice communications device (Krakow, 2007). This is a genre transformation of potentially epic proportions which could very well restructure the ways in which people communicate both in terms of the online environment and the voice environment (Carroll, 2008). Secondly, the genre change reflected in the attached advertisement speaks to redirecting promotional materials for a device to a new audience that is accustomed to accessing information on the Internet rather than in print. Kharif (2008) asserts that such a change is made possible by the type of product or service that is being promoted. In this instance, a new communication device is being promoted through a new communications

Category: Misc - C