ABSTRACT

To compete for attention in today's online environment, webtexts must appeal not only to human audiences, but also to the search engines that rank them via a results page, driving traffic their way (or not). This article investigates the rhetorical dynamics of this fundamental dimension of contemporary online discourse, viewing search engines as a pivotal nexus between scholarly conversations regarding algorithmic rhetoric and attention management. Specifically, it positions the algorithm as an audience, one webtexts invoke via subtextual signals meant to elude human notice. It is animated by Charles E. Morris's formulation of the fourth persona, drawing on his framework to delineate a technologically oriented persona 4.0. In doing so, this paper broadens rhetoric's long-standing repertoire of constructs pertaining to persona to include algorithmic address. It then takes web searches for “public speaking,” and the top-ranking page by the motivational speaker Brian Tracy, as a site through which to explore the dynamics of persona 4.0, thereby also highlighting some of the disciplinary stakes.

摘要

为了在当今的在线环境中争夺注意力，网络文本不仅必须吸引人类受众，而且还必须吸引通过结果页面对它们进行排名的搜索引擎，从而吸引（或不吸引）流量。本文研究了当代在线话语这一基本方面的修辞动态，将搜索引擎视为关于算法修辞和注意力管理的学术对话之间的关键纽带。具体来说，它将算法定位为受众，一个网络文本通过旨在避免引起人们注意的亚文本信号调用。它是由查尔斯·E·莫里斯（Charles E. Morris）提出的第四种角色设计的动画，该框架利用他的框架描绘了面向技术的角色4.0。在此过程中，本文扩大了措辞。关于角色的构造的长期保留，包括算法地址。然后，它以网络搜索“公众演讲”和励志演讲者Brian Tracy的排名第一为网站，通过该网站探索Persona 4.0的动态，从而突出了一些纪律问题。