Graduate Program
English
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
2013
Thesis Director
Tim N. Taylor
Thesis Committee Member
Donna J. Binns
Thesis Committee Member
Robin L. Murray
Abstract
My thesis examines the Internet community Reddit through the rhetorical framework of Kenneth Burke, specifically his work with identification between individuals and how identification shapes communities. I focused on three sections of Reddit: World News, Ask Reddit, and Politics, and analyzed the best-voted comments of top posts from each section, focusing on how anonymous users communicate with one another and how their anonymity might influence the ways they interact. Additionally, I propose a method for instructors to use Reddit in the classroom, taking advantage of the medium's systematic anonymity.
Recommended Citation
Urbanski, Doug, "Upvoting the Audience: A Burkean Analysis of Reddit" (2013). Masters Theses. 1176.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1176
