PB1B

“Genre Generators” are able to exist because of what a genre is. Something can fit into a genre due to its structure and conventions used. Determining genres is as simple as identifying patterns. There are patterns everywhere, and when a specific group of works follows the same patterns over and over with little deviation, you can say that that work fits into a genre. The simplicity of genres has allowed for various websites to be created that will create a work of a certain genre for you with little to no effort on your part.

The most worrying, to myself at least, of the prompted genre generators was the scientific paper generator. You don’t have to be a practiced researcher to know what a common research paper looks like. If you see a paper that contains certain conventions or styles, you might think to yourself, “Oh! That looks like a research paper!” and frequently, you would be right. That’s because you recognized the pattern in research papers. Some people decided to take this pattern recognition to a whole new level and make some software that will create and mimic the conventions of a research paper. The website prompts you to enter the “author’s” name and click “Generate”. You are then shown a very authentic looking research paper with your name at the top. This patterns that allow this program to be created are fairly obvious; there is a title front and center, bold and big, the author’s name(s) is(are) below the title in a smaller text. The paper itself is segmented into multiple sections. There is an “Abstract” section that acts as a thesis to the paper. After the “Abstract” there is a Table of Contents, followed by the Introduction. The Introduction is numbered with a 1 to begin segmenting the paper into orderly sections. From what I observed the website generates only 6 segments with the 6^th and final being the Conclusion. It is important that the conclusion is included because presenting evidence in an organized and logical manner and then drawing a conclusion from it is a must when writing a research paper. After the Conclusion there is an extensive list of resources used which lends a decent amount of ethos to the generated paper. The paper appears even more credible due to multiple graphs, charts, and diagrams that are located within the Results section. At a glance there is absolutely nothing wrong with this paper, and it includes everything that a well-planned paper should, all thanks to genres.

The generator that required the least amount of effort was the comic strip generator. You simply clicked the “Generate” button and you were presented with a new comic. These comics frequently did not make sense, which proves that the entire comic strip was randomly generated. This can be done very simply with only 3 frames to fill. The first frame generally offered and opening and/or context to the comic. The middle frame generally had some type of action happening, or an opinion being expressed. The last frame would fit into the category of resolution. It was usually the punchline to a joke or a reaction or comment. The humor in this generator was on the juvenile side because juvenile humor is easy; it’s cheap laughs. People always get a chuckle out of someone else’s awkward situations or mild pain, because we’re all pretty messed up.

The last generator was perhaps the most peculiar when you really think about it. The meme generator requires its audience to have a working understanding of memes, their function, and their components. You have to understand the connotation to certain images, and it helps to know the common phrasing that might go with some of the common images. This generator was perhaps the best representation of genre because it allows for personalization. If you so choose, you may create your own meme using your own picture. Even if you don’t want to use your own picture, you can add your own text onto a known image. The personalization that you were able to do fit within the common conventions and layout of a meme while still allowing for differentiation.

My bonus generator site that I found is not for delicate sensibilities. When you first go to the page, http://www.sickjokegenerator.com/, you are asked to confirm you are over the age of 18. If you don’t appreciate extremely juvenile and frankly disgusting humor, then this site is not for you! It generates simple jokes at the click of a button. The jokes all fit into the genre of jokes that we described in class, short, easy to follow, and, in my opinion, usually funny. Some are question and answer jokes, others are short stories or anecdotes; they’re all different while still being similar. Of course there are some just awful jokes, but they all fall in the same genre. Enjoy!