Monet Sanchez

ENGL 109H

Professor Kelli Lycke

Genre Analysis

The document under review is a press release, originating from the software company

Discord. With over 150 million daily users, Discord is home to one of the largest instant

messaging platforms, equipped with features like voice and video calls, text, and media files - all

hosted in private or public chats called “servers.” Put simply, the company was created for the

world of PC gamers, Youtubers, to Esports, and anything in between. And though their influence

is world wide, sub-communities within the platform each have their own characteristics and

conventions.

Despite these complexities, the genre of the document will be referred to as a press

release. More specifically, it could also be classified into the sub category of a product-update

announcement. The announcement’s objective was to show Discord users that the company is

taking steps to implement accessibility within their platform. Through a brief and visual

demonstration of the platform’s new features, the press release signifies accessibility as not only

a priority, but something that can be achieved. It clearly states, “Anyone should be able to

connect easily with the people and communities they care about the most, and the application

you’re using should be able to change to your needs” (Clyde, Discord). This emphasis on

creating accessible spaces online is relevant because of the gradual awareness being placed on

creating inclusive digital communities for all people.

 Perhaps the most striking characteristic about this press release is the visual appeal and

informal tone. This is because the Discord released their press release in the form of a blog, on

their very own blog page. It seems that this press release is labeled as a blog very intentionally.

Discord understands that their users are accustomed with blogs, opinion pieces, podcasts, and

other interactive forms of information. The blog post acts entirely as a press release, but

presented in a form that is more appealing and familiar to their audience of PC gamers. With a

bold visual layout, concise length, author description and rhetorical awareness, the press release

is both highly effective and unique in its approach.

Initially, the reader is met with a large bolded heading, and a lively depiction of Discord’s

animated characters - all to ease the reader into the personal experience of a blog. It even has

“Clyde” - Discord’s automated robot who aids users for every area of support - as the “author.”

The blog makes sure to immerse the reader into this platform world, by bringing in familiar

elements of the actual app.

The actual product update contains 10 new features : drag and drop keyboard, text to

speech slider, reduced motion, message send button, keyboard navigation and screen reader,

saturation settings, role colors, image alt text, high contrast mode, open source drag and drop, all

displayed through a series of bullet points. Discord was very strategic in placing a video in the

middle of the blog. In case readers were confused, the video would provide an interactive

explanation of the features, while also encouraging users to read further. The use of bullet points

is fairly typical among press releases, and for this one, bullet points were the most efficient in

moving the reader quickly through the document. If a reader was perhaps uninterested in a

certain feature, they would simply have to move on to the next bullet, instead of being stuck in a

lengthy paragraph.
 Using visuals within the text pointed to how the author understood their audience. In

total, there were seven embedded links, a tweet, and a large picture to showcase their new

features. For a press release, this is extremely rare. For a blog, using interactive media is a wise

choice for Discord and its audience of PC gamers, who are familiar with high definition visuals

and expect to see them integrated in their experiences. Any reader could click a link for more

information, or watch a video demonstration with easy access. It eliminates the need for external

research.

Global context is another central driving force of the document. Discord functions as a

worldwide platform for millions of users. Because of the extent to how large their presence is, it's

very easy for them to become distant and impersonal. Thus, in an attempt to serve to their

audience and “personalize the impersonal,” the press release must be presented in a blog format.

The company “blog,” however, differs substantially from a traditional blog. A blog is more

commonly written from a personal perspective and narrated in first person. In contrast, a press

release is directed from the company’s perspective, it is written in formal third person. Yet, this

article is a fusion of both of these personal and factual attributes. It specifically targets their

audience of gamers, who are already familiar with reading gaming blogs.

Similarly, specialized terms like “Text to speech slider,” “Drag and Drop,” “Reduced

Motion,” “GitHub,” and “WCAG Level 2.1 AA,” and “Disability Pride Month” were used

throughout the press release. Though written for an audience of all users, PC gamers would be

most familiar with these phrases, given they might be using related software like this on a regular

basis. However, phrases like “WCAG Level 2.1 AA” and “Disability Pride Month,” were a bit

different, in terms of familiarity. In the statement about accessibility, Discord actually used the

former term in an attempt to bolster their credibility. The text reads, “But our dedication to
accessibility doesn’t stop with just these improvements: we're committed to being WCAG Level

2.1 AA compliant in the near future, and building towards that our team is thrilled to celebrate

Disability Pride Month by rolling out a few new Accessibility features and improvements today

on desktop, web, and iOS - with Android availability coming soon” (Clyde, Discord).

WCAG Level 2.1 AA is the acronym for “Web content accessibility guidelines,” which

informs readers that the company isn’t just giving a random and unorganized attempt, but are

actually holding themselves to an established set of rules. When further examining the context of

the blog, it was discovered that it was released during the month of July - Disability Pride

Month. The month seeks to garner attention around the issue of accessibility in the workplace

and among other public spaces. Discord is not merely making a general statement regarding

disability, but they are showing their full support of the month and are displaying their efforts to

correct a societal issue.

In summary, the press release had two main objectives. It sought to adapt with the

expectations and of its audience, while also serving their needs with a development in accessible

features. In a mix of professional and personal messaging, paired alongside familiar visuals, the

source adopts an unconventional - but highly effective - approach. Any user would most likely

be able to navigate this document with ease, and understand its personal and global implications.