Jamie Cossolini
Digital Rhetoric
Micro-analysis essay
March 13, 2015
Don’t Forget Your Books
The website Chegg serves as a cheap online textbook rental company
specifically geared towards high school and college students. More recently, it has
expanded to include several advice sections on study techniques and tutors, career
opportunities, college advice, scholarship opportunities, and student discounts for
select companies. Due to the overpriced books in most university college stores,
Chegg now not only offers broke college students a cheap outlet to attain their books
but also gives them the option of renting them.
Originally created in California in 2001, recent college graduate from Iowa
State University and entrepreneur Aayush Phumbhra, along with friends, knew
what it was like to spend hundreds of dollars per semester on books. Therefore, he
not only offered a cheap website where students could buy them from but one that
would also buy these books back at the end of the semester. However, it was not
until 2007 that this website thrived. After seeing the success of Netflix’s movie and
tv show rental service, founder Phumbhra implemented the same type of rental
idea. This gave Chegg the ability to rent textbooks for half the retail price.
This effort to base a company solely on the relatability to college students is
essentially unparalleled with other companies like Amazon. This specific
demographic is particularly significant for a number of reasons. First, college
students and their importance as human beings is often overlooked to anyone
outside the academic campus bubble. Since they are at an interesting and in
between stage of their life at the end of teenage years and beginning of adulthood,
the “real world” does not take much interest into their overall well being. Secondly,
they do not have a steady income and often spend the money they do have on trivial
items such as alcohol or gadgets. Therefore, Chegg attempts to build up a level of
trust with their consumers to ensure them that they are getting the most out of their
money.
They establish this credibility and trustworthiness in a variety of ways.
Foremost, they appeal to the average college student through their blog type
appearance. The compartmentalized organization of Chegg’s homepage then
separates the actual retailer and the blog content. This separate blog section prides
itself on the notion that it is “For student by students”. Those writing these advice
columns have particular experience in these types of issues that are of concern for
incoming freshmen or even upperclassmen. An online college culture, or subculture,
is then formed by exceeding students’ expectations of a texbook retail website. By
doing so, Chegg built, and continues to build, itself a highly regarded reputation
among this demographic of high school to college kids. Therefore, it creates a
connection that many other sole book retailers, like Amazon or the college store,
obviously cannot establish. By creating this reliability to its clientele through its
website appearance and content, it makes students more inclined to shop there than
elsewhere. This is exemplified in the screenshot below. Similar to a student-teacher
type relationship, a student is more inclined to take a professor’s class or like that
professor if he or she makes an attempt to connect with their students or show
some interest in their lives outside of the classroom. Also, Chegg has a green
marketing agreement, stating on the website that one tree is planted for every book
that is rented or sold. Whether its Chegg’s free shipping, cooperative customer
service, or green agreement, it becomes exceptionally clear that this is not a website
with a central focus on money. These ethos and karios factors contribute to the
websites overall appeal and success.
Although this site appeals to an academic and scholarly type audience, it is
limiting in its content if you are not apart of this confined group. Despite the fact it is
accessible to essentially all races, genders, and sexuality, the usage and interactivity
of this site is limited by age and, to some extent, class. This can be related to Nayer’s
point of “increasing standardization” verse the contrast of the “drive to
personalize”(33). Real students that have had college experience are the only ones
forming the content for this site. Given that, only those that are within a certain age
limit, with the exceptions of professors, would find use for this site. It also contains
content that an older demographic might find offensive. Just like a college student
most likely would not be found playing Scrabble in his or her free time, a
grandparent, with the exception of the unordinary and extraordinarily rare “hip”
grandparent that wants to “turn up”, would not have any interest in “How to Throw
a Killer Spring Break Party in 5 Steps.” With the exception of the overbearing and
nosy parent or the “cool mom or dad”, this exclusion would be safe to assume for
parents as well. Although the content is relatively innocent, people around the age of
40 and above might feel alienated, and possibly offended, by the articles suggesting
how to deal with annoying family members asking how college is or simply the
behavioral post ranging anywhere from overcoming hangovers to regrettable
campus hookups. Most college students also have a very unique and different sense
of humor than the middle age demographic. Therefore, some of the posts that were
intended to be funny to 18-22 years olds may appear as just plain stupid or
offensive to an older audience.
Similar to age barriers, since Chegg’s main purpose revolves around students
and their needs, a class barrier is associated with this. Since everyone does not have
the financial ability to receive a college education, a certain restriction, or
expectation, is set by Chegg’s content. If a less fortunate kid who did not have the
means to attend college viewed this blog, he or she would presumably have a very
difficult time relating to any of the posts. As a result, the exclusion from this site
does not rely solely on age, although that is where the main source of it tends to
stem from.
This content varies in purpose. Although a large portion of this subject
matter is dedicated to excelling in academics and adjusting to campus life, there are
also humorous and lighthearted posts with gifs, serving as a type of blend between
Elite Daily and Buzzfeed. Some of these articles consist of features like “9
Surprisingly Profound Things You Should Definitely Experience In College”, “5
Dreaded Questions Your Family Will Ask You This Thanksgiving”, “10 Things All
Broke College Students Can Relate To”, and “The Worst Things You Can Say To Your
Professor”. This is the aspect of the website that gives it its appeal by transforming
it from the average merchandiser to a relatable and entertaining place to waste ones
time. From interview and internship advice to funny life lessons, it is clear that this
website wants every student to reach their full potential, without breaking the bank.