1.  What role does technical communications play in your existing communicative life?

From my understanding, technical communication is to simply create easily accessible information for a targeted audience by any means of tools whether technological or not. As explained by Lannon and Gurak, we write and communicate more than ever using digital tools; we text, email, use social networking sites and so much more. My day to day technical communication takes place on my phone as I run two social media accounts, alongside with my sister for my mother’s retail business. Our mission on these sites is to inform our customers about the latest in our inventory and as for new customers, we persuade them to come shop at the store as they will be successful in finding what they are looking for. Most of my family lives back home in Nigeria and the typical way of getting in contact with them would be to buy a phone card and call them. But I now have this app on my phone called “Whatsapp” that allows me to text, send pictures, videos, or voicenotes to my family in seconds. Rather than having the call cut off on me this app makes it easier to stay in touch with my family back home.

2.  How can a technical communications perspective help you understand how you are connected to others through both technology and culture.

“Cultures differ over which behaviors seem appropriate for social interactions” and different cultures set aside expectations when it comes to communicating (Lannon & Gurak 5). Documentation or any sort of technical communication must be expressed in a way that can globally be understood so that cultures are all on the same page. Having a perspective in technical communication, I’ve now learned that technology is a tool used to reach cultures far and wide. Communicating within cultures can be difficult because it needs to be understood that not everyone is in agreement in the same things and communication needs to be appropriated in a way that everyone is happy. It is necessary to think before you speak as to not offend another’s culture. New York City is known as “the melting pot” and being born and raised here has connected me to learning an abundance of cultures. I am connected because of ads or signs made for everyone inhabiting NYC to understand or seeing documentation in several different languages. Even being friends with people that don’t necessarily have the same ideals as myself, I’ve learned to communicate with.