Introductions Beyond Academic Platforms
MAY 2015
“Hi my name is Krissy, I enjoy frozen yogurt, excessively loud country music, and sarcastic comments.” This is probably not the bio of your Instagram account, however it is a type of introduction. Formally, most introduction are formed by John Swales’ CARS model, which consists of three moves:
Establishing a territory.
Establishing a niche (a specific area in your territory).
Occupying the niche.
This model is highly useful for the blogging generation, who constantly write about social trends (e.g., fashion, food, dieting, etc.). For an example of this lets look to Wake Forest University Odyssey article, entitled, “Here’s to the Guys.”
“Essential Qualities a Boyfriend Must Have"
“100 Necessities for My Future Husband"
We've all heard these titles before right? We share them, swoon over them, laugh about them with friends, and even make our own versions of “necessities for our future spouse"… And don't get me wrong, it sure is fun day-dreaming of your future husband while watching The Longest Ride and thinking he'll be the spitting image of Scott Eastwood with that sexy southern draw. But… I think we're missing something here. We've become obsessed with the demanding qualities of the perfect man, so consumed with the idea, that we've failed to ask an important question--
What about the qualities of a perfect woman?
Through this opening passage, the author Sarah York established her territory by opening with titles discussing boyfriends, and then occupies her niche by addressing the issue of these standards. She closes with the third step by asking the question, “What about the qualities of a perfect woman?” York’s article is clearly not an academic article, however, its informal topic and layout still follow rules of a successful introduction, exemplifying how informality conforms to writing standards too.
Another, main piece in an introduction is a thesis statement, analyzing or summarizing you argument. A useful tool in blogging, yet how about its use in your Facebook posts and Instagram bios? How do we introduce ourselves on social media? Most of you probably would not summarize your Instagram bio, or twitter (if you have one) as a thesis statement. In “Genre Analysis,” by John Swales, he discusses introductions stating, “[a writer has] an unnerving wealth of options: decisions have to be made about the amount and type of background knowledge to be included; decisions have to be made about an authoritative verses a sincere stance; decisions have to be made about the winsomeness of the appeal to the readership; and decisions have to be made about the directness of the approach” (Swales 137). Swales is discussing the decisions a writer makes in their introductions, and subconsciously every social media user makes these choices.
How much do I want someone to know when he or she click on my user name and see my bio? How much background?
Who will see this?
Will a statement I write offend anyone, or make people not want to follow me?
Should I be funny, or more serious?
These could be only a few questions you take into consideration, but nevertheless they are things social media users all consider. Therefore, how can you successfully introduce yourself? You must ask yourself these questions mentioned above and consider with Swales’ introduction decisions to be perceived the way you desire. No matter what you decide, it should be well stated and inviting as both informal and formal introductions are to draw in your reader, or in this case a possible follower.
Here are two examples of Instagram bios:
WFU Spoon: “All things food in& around the Forest #spoonwfu to be featured!”
Hannah Kramer: “No one makes me bleed my own blood.”
These two accounts are examples of introductions that hone in on a certain niche of people. WFU Spoon pulls in those who love food, and summarizes what the account will post- one could possibly say it is a thesis statement for their photos. The second bio introduces a quote from the popular comedy Dodgeball; this bio takes a different comical route. This decision draws in people who are intrigued by humor. Both are rhetorically successful approaches for bios.
On the other hand, there are still big DO NOTs on social media introductions or bios. Lauren Dugan wrote an article on the Social Times website stating a list of 25 of the worst things to put within your Twitter bio. This list was voted on by a group of workers at Twitters headquarters. There are a few key things not to do in writing, including:
Hastagging everything in your bio.
Inside jokes no one else understands.
Caps locking every word.
#TeamFollowBack
Curse words
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.
As much as people may like to think writing rules do not apply, clearly the online generation has set standards of what is annoying or unacceptable. Think of your account as a formal paper, your bio should be general, then once your followers are pulled into your account you posts become a more specific representation of your account as a whole, the same way your body paragraphs act for your central argument in an introductory paragraph.