Mario Robertson
English 2269
Initial Literacy Narrative
8/31/12
I engage and compose my words in a digital context in various ways. Through the use of
social media, I compose different forms of writing to help portray to the world who I am. My
digital writing contributions also include motivational quotes, prose, and especially poetry.
Facebook and Twitter serve as my connection to the world, and with this connection I share
words intended to inspire, motivate and enrich the lives of others.
As I go through life, and immerse myself in new experiences, I develop different
perspectives on various subjects. I also may read a very inspiring book, hear a song and become
immediately motivated, or see a video that I find moving. Whenever this happens have an urge to
share with others about my experiences or my epiphanies. I am able to share it through my
profiles on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and uplift others with the same thing that inspired
me.
When I read the book “The Alchemist” earlier this month I tweeted “Just finished the
book, "The Alchemist"... It's a really inspiring book. Thanks to @gustin_ho for recommending
it.” I tweeted this because after reading this book, I was very moved. The dialogue of the book
was exemplary and exposed a different way of looking at things. It talked about the idea of
omens and following your own personal destiny and allowing nothing to deter you. I felt this
story should be shared in order to help somebody else.
When I go to church a lot of times, my fellow members of the church give personal
testimonies. Sometimes these testimonies are positive, but unfortunately most times they are sad
stories. After these sad testimonies many people ask others in the church to pray for them. One
Sunday, a member of my church gave a testimony that I found very touching. A member of my
Sunday school class had been having some back problems and needed to take pills every day for
the pain. However these pills also caused some drowsiness as a side effect. Due to this, this
member was found sleeping on the job by a co-worker. This information found its way to her
superiors and she lost her job. A lot of times it seems as if you’re the only one in life struggling
or being plagued by problems. Many times there is someone that is going through something
more difficult. This experience prompted me to post this status on my Facebook profile “Every
day I seem to run into somebody with a harder struggle and more problems than me. Can't even
think about complaining, life is good...” The way to measure the response a post has is to look at
the likes and comments it receives on Facebook. This particular status had seven likes and
several comments. When I see that a status has had a very positive response, it encourages me to
continue posting similar things.
The posts I make are not only limited to prose, but also include videos that I have
discovered and want to share. For example, two of my friends are very interested in dancing and
make videos that show off their styles and skills. I share their videos on my Facebook to help
them receive more attention. These videos show their passion for dancing and portray them
doing something positive in a world with so many negative choices. I like re-posting and sharing
posts that show people following their dreams and their passions. By seeing others doing what
they love, many people may feel the urge to do what they love as well.
Another way in which I share my compositions digitally is by sharing my poetry. Many
times I start writing a new poem after seeing or experiencing something in my life. All of the
poetry I post is positive and is intended to aid others to achieve better or follow their dreams.
Following is an excerpt from one of my poems titled “Dreams and Desires”
Success is not inevitable,
Dreams do not follow themselves,
A struggle without pain,
Is not a struggle at all.
Though the style and forms of my writing may change when I post to my Twitter and
Facebook, the message I attempt to disseminate is constant. Through the use of my social media
profiles, I want to share my experiences and hope to help motivate others to achieve their dreams
and enrich their lives as much as I can.