Reflection

Through completing my ePortfolio for ENC 2135, each of the three major projects I completed pushed me to rethink what I’m able to through writing and in creating an amalgamated project. When I entered the course, I saw writing mostly as a technical skill, based on grammar, conventions, and simply completing the assignment. But completing all of these projects that interwove and changed as time went on, I realize that with writing and campaigning I’m able to build a voice stronger than my own would be in a single instance. Being able to create, have flexible ideas, and act in a way that actively shares my work with others is rewarding to have done.

 

The first project, my investigative field essay, had me immersed in a research process that was deep and complex, analyzing numerous scholarly sources thoroughly. My topic of how short-form video platforms like TikTok and Reels are reshaping modern film and TV editing required me to analyze different techniques which I had never heard of, evaluate scholarly credibility, and understand how media evolves alongside technology. Working through these sources helped me see that research is not just collecting information, it is crafting your argument, identifying what information is worthwhile, and using them to form my own informed perspective. I had to compare and divulge into the claims of each author instead of simply summarizing them, which strengthened both my analytical skills and my ability to structure my own argument based upon the research of others clearly. This project taught me to look at writing as a form of inquiry and a way of joining an ongoing conversation rather than simply reporting on it.

 

The second project, my Rhetorical Analysis of Field Artifacts, pushed me further into understanding how rhetoric shifts depending on medium, purpose, and audience. Analyzing both the academic article on Sora and the Sora 2 reveal video required me to think critically about how creators use tone, visuals, emotional appeals, and genre conventions to persuade. Unlike the first project, which focused heavily on research and synthesis, this assignment asked me to examine how something communicates in order to eventually decide what it communicates. Comparing a scholarly cautionary text to a corporate promotional video highlighted how drastically rhetoric can change depending on who is speaking and what they want the audience to believe. Through this, I was able to see through the lense of artificial intelligence skeptics much more easily and learned myself the dangers of misinformation on a relevant topic.

 

The third project, my Multigenre Persuasive Campaign, brought everything together and . Creating “Worth Our Watch” required me not only to understand rhetorical choices but to apply them across multiple types of media from visual posts aimed at sharing my central message to short-form Instagram Reels. Instead of relying solely on writing, I had to translate my ideas into visuals, pacing, tone, and design and match the audience where they are. I realized that persuasion in digital environments is as much about formatting, aesthetics, and audience engagement as it is about words. Each short-form video needed to hook viewers quickly, while the long-form video demanded a more detailed, reflective argument for a slightly different audience. This project taught me how to communicate a unified message across platforms, adapting the same core idea into different genres while keeping the purpose consistent: encouraging viewers to reassess how they consume media and understand modern editing trends.