Blog 7

Multi-modality is the process of combing different modes in order to communicate a particular meaning. There is a specific layout in this process. You do not randomly choose which modes you want to communicate your message; you pick a specific mode depending on which audience you are trying to target and how you want to appropriately demonstrate your message to them. 

Genres are defined by Kress and Hodge as a normal type of work that connects a specific topic, audience, writer, and medium all together. I feel there are more differences between multi modality and genres. For instance, Chandler mentions that genres "constrain and inhibit authorial creativity.” I agree with his notion, because when a book has a specific genre I immediately begin to imagine the main plot line. For example, when someone says a book is a romantic drama, Nicholas Sparks first comes to my mind. From my experiences, I already expect there to be some initial romance between two people, then they fall deep in love, then there is some tragic climax, and then there is eventually a relatively happy ending. Authors are restrained from writing in an unconventional manner when one specific genre serves are a barrier to what they have to include in their writing. Multi-modality allows the creator to chose any form of a medium to express whatever they want based on who they target as their audience. 

However, there are some types of similarities between the two concepts. Chandler states that genres increase the efficiency of communication. Since the readers already know what to expect from knowing the genre of a work, there is an advantage for the author because they can rely on the audience to expect certain events/ scenes to occur in their work. This makes the communication more efficient since both the producer and consumer are on the same page with what to expect. Similarly, multi-modality makes communication more efficient. For instance, with respect to our latest project, the remediation I chose for my genealogy saves time, energy, and makes the seven page paper on the genealogy much more understandable. I combined different visual modes to communicate my genealogy to a specific audience, which made it much more efficient. Lastly, Chandler says "Every work within a genre involves the invention of some new elements.” Multi-modality exemplifies the same characteristics by putting distinct and new modes together to communicate something.