Audience and The Girl Effect

Ong writes that every reader of a text is being cast in a role by the author, and they typically respond by accepting that role and fictionalizing themselves to get the most out of the text. By imagining an audience and writing a text for that imagined audience, authors are able to influence the reader's perspective and embed the text with meaning.

Texts are unique methods of communication because they "preserv[e] the information and conquer space by moving the information to its recipient over distances that sound cannot traverse" (10). For Ong, this is important because it eliminates the need for the audience to be present. The immediacy and intimacy that comes naturally with oral communication is not immediately present when interacting with a written text, so authors have to find new ways to incorporate it in their work. They do this by fictionalizing the audience and in turn having the audience fictionalize themselves. Ong gives an example of this by discussing Hemingway's writing. Hemingway fictionalized his audiences in a way that is commonly seen today but was radically new for his time. By writing with definite articles, Hemingway fosters a sense of intimacy with his readers despite the distance separating them (spatial distance and distance over time, especially now that Hemingway is dead). Readers are cast in the role of close companion to Hemingway and embrace this role by accepting the information given to them without question; Ong showcases this by writing "'To the mountains.' What mountains? Do I have to tell you? Of course not." This intimacy makes it easier for readers to get lost in the story and is part of what makes Hemingway's writing so significant, even today. 

Establishing intimacy with the audience is key to Ong's theory, and other equally important factors are immediacy and distance. The creators of The Girl Effect videos were able to apply Ong's theories on intimacy, immediacy, and distance in their videos "I Dare You" and "Ticking Clock" and "We Have a Solution". The videos are part of a campaign to help women, specifically girls at the age of 12, in developing countries that don't have access to education. The three videos create similar constructions of audience that encourage the viewers to fictionalize themselves. "I Dare You" creates intimacy with the audience by showing footage of girls in developing countries across the world. All of the girls are staring into the camera and at the audience, which gives a face to the issue and makes it personal. The woman narrating over the images uses "I" and "me" while speaking, which intensifies the personal connection.

"Ticking Clock" and "We Have a Solution" apply intimacy and immediacy in a different way. Both videos rely on text and simple images to get the message across. Since there are no images in "Ticking Clock" the audience is forced to supply their own images; when I read about the girl who goes to school and is able to buy a cow and start her own business, I fictionalize myself in that role. I am the girl who is buying a cow and joining the village council. While it is easy for me to fictionalize myself in that role because I am a woman, audience members of any gender can see themselves or someone they love in that role. "We Have a Solution" employs a similar technique by using a basic depiction of a woman without a face or any defining characteristics. This allows audience members to fictionalize themselves in the role of the woman in the video, or to imagine their mother, sister, friend, or aunt in that role. These techniques create intimacy and close the distance gap by making the issue hit home.

By fictionalizing the audience, Nike creates a powerful call to action. The main goal of the campaign is educate people about issues in developing countries and get them to donate to help women in need, but its safe to say most people won't go that far even after watching all three videos. The advertisements are still successful even if people don't donate because they created that connection with the audience. If viewers connect with the videos and continue to think about them after watching them, they are likely to incorporate small acts of gender equality in their everyday lives and to educate others about the importance of women.