Kenisha Vaswani

Writing Project 2

Part 1

Genre: Instagram Comments

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 From Scholarly Analysis to Social Media:

Connecting Conversations Across Platforms

Bathed in the flickering warmth of the screen, we are whisked away to wonderful realms where

colors dance luminously and characters spring to life, their amusing actions unfolding like a

magician's bright ribbon, weaving us into a tapestry of infinite imagination and wonder.

Animated movies are the first glimpse of the world to growing children. It exposes them to a

fantasy world that stretches the boundaries of reality, encouraging creativity. In the

peer-reviewed journal, Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading, the author, Hianly

Mujaldi, seeks to explain that, despite its overt message of supporting diversity and combating

preconceptions, the animated film Zootopia maintains certain stereotypes and prejudices. The

overall message and organization of this paper set up the tone for the paper, reflecting the

purpose and the intended audience. This essay explores the transformation of scholarly insights

into Instagram comments, focusing specifically on the difference in accessibility, engagement,

and tone arguing that this transition democratizes knowledge and fosters a more inclusive

conversation.

The organization of a text is crucial as it helps to structure the argument in a way that

persuades the readers and convinces them to agree with the statement put forth by the author. A

peer-reviewed article’s primary goal is to answer the thesis statement, with the help of various

evidences like media, graphs, surveys, etc. These journals follow the same basic format - starting

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with an introduction to give context, followed by the thesis, the possible reasons behind the

issues, then the solution or the argument backed up by evidence, and finally the conclusion to tie

everything together. We see Mujaldi organize her article based on different questions she wants

to answer, echoing Giles's emphasis on thoughtful organization and reflective writing as a tool

for developing coherent and persuasive arguments.1 Mujaldi uses various headings like “What

values does Zootopia unconsciously reveal as the underlying meaning?”2 and “What values does

Zootopia offer as the surface meaning?”,3 to offer a clear framework for the readers.

Additionally, it helps direct the readers through the analysis in a logical order as it divides the

argument into digestible, smaller but concentrated chunks.

Unlike peer-reviewed journals, Instagram comments are chaotic and are often organized

depending on the number of likes they receive. Since they follow a thread-based response

algorithm, users directly interact with individual comments. While this method introduces an

element of unpredictability, it also advocates a type of meritocracy of ideas, where information

resonates based on its relevance and attractiveness to the community. This organization allows

for a natural flow of conversation, mirroring real-time discussions. Therefore, the tone of these

comments is usually informal. Likewise, Gile discusses the reflective writing process, where the

intentionality behind word choice and the consideration of audience impact the effectiveness of

communication, whether in academic or digital contexts.4 These Instagram comments are quite

often short and driven by the ever-decreasing attention span and the small screens of mobile

phones drive this style of writing. As these comments are organized based on the number of likes
1
Boyd, Janet, “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking,” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Volume 2.
(2011):98, https://writingspaces.org/past-volumes/murder-rhetorically-speaking/
2
Hianly Muljadi, “Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading,” EduLite: Journal of English Education,
Literature and Culture 4, no. 2 (September 4, 2019): 236, https://doi.org/10.30659/e.4.2.236-246
3
Muljadi, “Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading,”, 241.
4
Boyd, “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking,”,98

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they get, the most resonating or controversial comments dominate the narrative and discussion

around the post. For example, under @baseballscenefromtwilight ’s post, there was a comment

saying, “please wear less perfume im allergic :(” (@girlinred_butgayer, February 25, 2023)

that got only 836 likes but the controversial reply to it saying, “my mom is allergic to strong

fragrances and they make her asthma flare up so sometimes when i’m mad at her i spray a lot of

ferbreeze in my room to keep her out” (@je.en.vee, February 26, 2023) got over 3731 likes.

Therefore, the more controversial and straightforward the comment is, the more widely it will be

viewed. This contrasts with the linear, gradual unfolding of arguments in scholarly journals,

where each part builds on the previous one to form a cohesive argument or give thorough

research findings.

While the organization in scholarly articles and Instagram comments differ, the tone each

uses also plays a pivotal role in shaping the discourse. Setting the tone of the paper is the most

important part of writing. It helps the authors reach a specific audience and helps them easily

convey complex ideas and nuanced arguments with precision. It guarantees that the topics

conveyed are well expressed, reducing the possibility of misunderstanding. Academic articles

make use of a formal tone to reflect the seriousness and scholarly nature of the work. It makes

the reader feel like the content results from rigorous research. This tone is set with the help of

specialized terminology or jargon. Mujaldi in her paper, makes use of several words like

“deconstruction”,5 to convey an approach that might not be common outside her community.

This jargon enables academics to clearly and effectively express complicated ideas while also

reaching a specific audience. The goal of several experts is to reach an audience who have a

deeper understanding of the material, therefore jargon helps communicate complex ideas with
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Muljadi, “Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading,”, 238.

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clarity and precision. Additionally, jargon displays the author's thorough mastery of the subject.

It indicates to the reader that the author is familiar with the field's principles, providing

credibility to their analysis or argument.

While academic articles often employ a formal tone to convey authority, social media

platforms offer a more informal approach. This distinction highlights the adaptability of language

in engaging different audiences. These comments frequently mimic spoken language. This

transition to a conversational tone not only humanizes but also democratizes language,

converting interactions from hierarchical exchanges to conversations among equals. Such a tone

invites greater involvement by reducing the intimidation factor associated with academic

discourse, allowing contributions from individuals who may have previously felt excluded from

scholarly debates. Due to the emphasis on quick and reactive communication, grammatical

correctness is sometimes overlooked in favor of message immediacy Therefore typos, odd

punctuation, and creative spelling are widespread, reflecting the platform's unstructured

character. For instance, “i be disappearing rn” (@kaitlynn_1233, March 12, 2022) is a comment

that doesn't follow grammar rules correctly, but it is a perfectly valid Instagram comment. This

disregard for traditional grammatical norms adds to the realistic and unpolished aspect of

discussions, reflecting the real-time, dynamic nature of social media involvement. To enhance

these comments, people make use of slang and emojis. Emojis are an informal but visual

approach to expressing feelings and sentiments that may be difficult to explain via words alone.

These emojis also help set the tone as one user comments, “sick world we live in

😞😞😞”(@ashlynn.fit, February 18, 2023), this use of emojis improves the conversation by
making it more engaging and relevant. The repetition of the emojis intensifies the expressed

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emotion, emphasizing the depth of the user's feelings. This use of informal language contributes

to an inclusive atmosphere in which users feel linked via common customs.

So, what happens when scholarly discourse adapts to the brevity and directness of social

media? Using Instagram's editing capabilities, I crafted a conversation on a single account,

imitating communication between numerous people by editing usernames. While translating

from an academic journal to Instagram comments, I focused on the key points of keeping the

comments short, concise, and informal. Since the academic papers are complex, the translation

process involved simplifying this content by using everyday language and slang. I incorporated

an informal tone, with zero-to-no punctuation with several comments like, “ @taurusgirlie so

salty for what”, and “@anon123 did you even read the article? it feels like it went over [your]

head”. This captured the casual tone of the text. Since Instagram is a visually driven platform,

using emojis to convey messages is often noticed that add a layer of expressiveness. For

instance, comments refer to memes like “sorry i aint reading all that 🥱” or pop culture
references, which makes the content more relevant. This a strategy that aligns with Boyd’s

discussion on the effectiveness of rhetorical choices in captivating the audience. Controversial

remarks are commonly used to make conversational material more engaging.6 Comments such as

“ it feels like it went over [your] head. no wonder you don't have a hairline” resort to direct

insults, thereby almost guaranteeing a reply and continuing the argument. I was most concerned

about not losing the original meaning of the primary text. I translated the main arguments of the

article into several smaller comments such as, “The portrayal of predators as inherently

aggressive also reinforced negative stereotypes”. The translation process requires complex

thoughts to be split down into numerous comments or pieces to make them more digestible in
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Boyd, “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking,”,98

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Instagram's scrolling environment. Each remark or post might focus on a specific aspect of the

article, enabling people to consider and debate each topic in turn. This divided method helps to

sustain the audience's attention and facilitate a deeper grasp of the topic.

As we navigate the complexities of accessibility, engagement, and tone, we arrive at a

point where academic study meets social media discourse. This blend not only enhances the

public conversation but also encourages us to reconsider the bounds of scholarly communication.

The "Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading"7 paper delves into how movies impact our

perspectives on diversity. Thereby, encouraging us to engage in a scholarly discussion it is

precise, smart, and full of skilled terminology. Instagram comments, on the other hand, engage

us in a fast-paced, emoji-filled debate in which everyone's perspective is valued. The transition

from thorough research to active social media conversation demonstrates how communication

styles impact how we discuss and comprehend issues. As we navigate the digital world, being

able to flip between different styles is critical for making complicated ideas more accessible and

enabling larger community debates. It's more than just altering words; it's about connecting

deeper with one another, regardless of platform.

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Muljadi, “Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading,”, 236.

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 Bibliography

Muljadi, Hianly. “Discrimination in Zootopia: A Critical Reading.” EduLite: Journal of English

Education, Literature and Culture 4, no. 2 (September 4, 2019).
https://doi.org/10.30659/e.4.2.236-246.

Boyd, Janet. 2011. “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking).” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing
Volume 2. (2011). https://writingspaces.org/past-volumes/murder-rhetorically-speaking/

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