Abstract

In this chapter, I argue that metaphor is a powerful invention strategy for webtext design that can both generate new ideas and obscure others in the pursuit of creating new knowledge. Digital environments offer possibilities to introduce new metaphorical structures based on objects (which both highlight and challenge otherwise implicit, invisible structures) in the creation of multimodal scholarship. We need to carefully examine the power, or agency, an object can have when introduced into scholarly design-as-argument and think about how this object can both draw attention to and challenge more traditional organizational scholarly structures and design. I suggest this will help to open up possibilities for creating and organizing scholarly knowledge in both print and digital environments while recognizing the power these organizations have over the argument as it takes shape.

Based on my data collected from digital autoethnographic recordings, I suggest that “metaphors” exert five major types of influences on webtext invention: Synthesize, Emplace, Interact, Symbolize, and Emphasize. Additionally, they exert these influences on webtext design in six main capacities: as linguistic, visual, aural, conceptual, gestural, and spatial metaphors, with differing degrees of influence on the invention process based on the differing nuances of their roles. From these five metaphor-related influences, I highlight several implications as takeaways for building professional and pedagogical infrastructures to support webtext composing, invention, and design as a mode of scholarly composing and communication. These implications address material resources as well as habits of mind in practicing invention.

Based on these findings, I suggest there is a need for further research into metaphors as webtext invention strategies in the context of creating scholarly knowledge. Such studies might take the form of personal ethnography of metaphor use, for example, or collaborative work with the folklore (both personal and cultural) associated with metaphorical objects. Metaphors offer rich, productive territory for bringing together discussions at the intersections of embodiment, affect, and personal narrative, which I argue are fruitful strategies for developing scholarly knowledge-making practices across a range of media forms, whether traditional or multimodal.