Communities and Genres

Michael Vanaki
ENC 2135
Bradley
02/02/16

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Vanaki
Michael Vanaki
ENC 2135
Bradley
02/02/16
Communities and Genres
In the year 2014, a global survey suggested that nearly 30% of the global population
could be defined as overweight or obese, and although the United States accounts for a
mere 5% of the worlds total population, Americans are responsible for 13% of all
overweight individuals (Fox, The Whole World Is Getting Fatter, New Survey Finds).
According to Stanford Health Care, obesity can lead to diseases such as high blood
pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and due to these complications one will ultimately see
pre mature death. Thousands of college students each year make the choice to join the
health and fitness community to combat obesity and make healthier life choices in order
to survive and live a more active life. The college health and fitness community works
tirelessly each day to spread awareness of ways to live a healthier and more active
lifestyle by utilizing a combination of medias as well as selected modes.
The community accepts people from all fitness backgrounds with members of the
health and fitness community ranging from those who are new and trying to learn more
about the lifestyle, to moderate weightlifters who have experience in the community, to
the self nick named gym-rats who are at the apex of the community when it comes to
knowledge and physical stature. Members come from all ages and races and are most
often found representing the community at the local gym, as this is where the major
component of working out occurs. The college health and fitness community exists now

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to encourage people to get physically fit and to exchange ideas on healthy living. Topics
of conversation include reviews on new fitness supplements, different methods for
workout routines, and the use of motivation to encourage people to reach their greatest
fitness aspirations.
The United States has been attempting to get its nations youth involved in the health
and fitness community through an initiative called the Presidents Council on Fitness,
Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN). The Presidents Council engages, educates, and empowers
all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good
nutrition and consists of athletes, chefs, physicians, fitness professionals, and
educators who are approved by the President (Fitness.gov). The council was founded in
1956 under President Dwight Eisenhower after noting the poor quality of youth fitness in
the United States, and has since then made the children of the United States their primary
audience. The initiative targets children primarily so they build the habit of a healthy
lifestyle thus carrying it with them through out their years. To communicate their
message, the Presidents Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition uses the Internet to create
videos that show celebrity members of the health and fitness community encouraging
people to get active. The PCFSN also utilizes a website where they provide information
on how to eat healthy and be active in every day life. These modes Since its inception, the
Presidents Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition has spread its message to children in
schools all across the United States with more students taking the pledge to achieve a
healthier lifestyle each year.
One genre used to convey the college health and fitness communitys message is
through the use of social media. One survey found that 95% of college students use

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Facebook, along with 80% owning a Twitter account and 73% with an Instagram account
(Viner, Social Media Statistics:: How College Students Are Using Social Networking).
Social media allows people to instantly communicate with one another through use of
photographs, text, and videos. This allows for members of the college health and fitness
community to communicate with one another by sharing videos of different work out
techniques as well as documentaries of influential members of the community providing
advice. This platform also allows members to reach people they have never met through
the use of hash tags. Hash tags are a way to post online and directly target members of
whichever community you wish by using key words. For example, one may post a photo
of a healthy recipe and use the hash tag #healthycooking to reach people who are
searching for a new recipe. This genre can further allow members of the community to
communicate with those who have not yet found the community because the online post
are all public. This lets people who may be on your friends list or a follower of yours see
your fitness post and could potentially peak their curiosity towards the community.
Overall, social media is a great way for members of the college health and fitness
community to communicate with those who are a part of it and those who are not, alike.
Technological communication can also be achieved by way of email. Emails can be
used to send contacts information about the health and fitness community that can be
immediately accessed through an attached link. Photographs and sound bytes can also be
sent to enhance the sensory experience of the message. This strategy works to the
advantage of the composer as the recipient is already on their technological device and
can read the text or access the link with ease. Emails can contain information much like

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social media, although it is more direct to students that are close enough to the composer
to have exchanged emails.
Another way for members of the college health and fitness community to
communicate to others is through the use of sidewalk chalk. Sidewalk chalk is a unique
way to communicate as the creator can selectively place their message on the floor in
front of any location they believe will be most effective in reaching their target audience.
Messages can be drawn out in front of the Florida State Recreational Center providing
information about health and fitness clubs as well as upcoming fitness classes that will be
provided at the facility. This could be seen as a good spot to use chalk as your audience
will be people who are heading towards the recreational center and may already be
members of the college health and fitness community or students who are looking to join
it. Links to healthy food ideas can be written on the ground near university dining halls to
inspire the students to make healthier food choices when eating on campus. This location
is optimal for the message as students typically complain about the nutritional situation
that is eating in a dining hall so the idea of alternatives may intrigue them. The use of
sidewalk chalk can be seen as less effective than social media, however, as the message is
limited to those passing by and those who actually have their attention caught by the
chalk on the ground.
Another genre of communication used by the college health and fitness community is
that of flyers. Flyers can be placed on bulletin boards and on the walls of nearly every
building at Florida State. The flyers can have information printed on them for upcoming
events on campus such as 5ks or healthy eating expos. The flyers can also advertise
meetings for people to come talk about ways to promote a healthy lifestyle. Personal

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trainers in the college health and fitness community often use flyers to promote
themselves. These personal trainers will leave their name and phone number on the flyer
in hope that people will reach out to them seeking advice and training to be active in the
health and fitness community. Flyers are a great method to show the message of the
health and fitness community on a massive scale, however, like the sidewalk chalk, flyers
are limited only to those who walk by them.
The use of multi media presentations can prove useful to spreading the message of the
college health and fitness community as well. Presentations can include facts about
healthy life choices, easy ways to get into a healthy lifestyle, and answers to any
questions that skeptics may have. These presentations can be targeted towards the
members of similar communities, as they may already know some aspects of the college
health and fitness community. At Florida State, presentations can be given to clubs such
as Nole Med or NutritioNoles because these clubs already work to promote a healthier
lifestyle in the community. The presentations can also be given to the individual
fraternities and sororities on campus, as well as athletic clubs because of their known
involvement in an active lifestyle.
One company that has achieved great success in the college health and fitness
community is Campus Protein. Two students at Indiana University who wished to sell
supplements to students at a lower price formed the company five years ago. The
company grew through its use of campus representatives at colleges across the country
whos job was to spread the word about the website and the fitness community. Upon
interviewing one of the representatives at Florida State, it was evident that she uses each
genre discussed to some extent. To communicate to students who have not yet heard of

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Campus Protein or have not yet discovered the college health and fitness community, she
announced social media as the most valuable medium. The use of hash tags on twitter
allows representatives to reach people across the world and discuss various fitness topics.
The use of the Internet also allows representatives to share videos and sound bytes of
prominent members of the community speaking or demonstrating the ideologies of the
community. The representative also makes use of flyers and door hangers in resident
halls to draw the attention of those in the area. These flyers will usually contain coupon
codes for use on the website as well as information for group sessions where people can
come to learn about the health and fitness lifestyle. The use of chalk on the sidewalk near
Leach Gym and University Health Center at Florida State has proven useful to the
representative as well, as her audience is then people who are walking to the gym and are
most likely already interested in the health and fitness community.
Above all, speaking in person appears to have the most resounding effect when it
comes to influencing those who have not yet joined the community. Typically, making
use of rhetorical appeals convinces the audience that they should join the community.
When speaking to a student face-to-face they can see that the representative is a member
of the community and thus have some credibility in what they are talking about. The
representative can then tell them great facts about the lifestyle, like how according to the
Mayo Clinic, working out releases endorphins in the human brain that reduces overall
stress levels. Furthermore, the representative can show their audience before and after
photos where an image is shown of people who have radically changed their bodies
which can make the audience desire to change themselves. Talking face to face allows the
target audience to see the representatives genuine interest in the community that they

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belong to and their desire to see others improve their lifestyle. The representative stated
that she often sets up a table at the Florida State Recreational center where students can
approach her to ask questions about the health and fitness lifestyle and how they can get
involved with it on campus. By using this face-to-face interaction, the representative is
also able to gain the students email or social media handle so they may further
communicate about the lifestyle online. According to the representative of Campus
Protein, it seems that students like to be told that they can do great things and that they
have a great support system behind them.
There are a variety of communities in the world today each with a unique cast of
members who strive to spread their message and life style to people near and far. The
college health and fitness community has worked tediously to spread their message of
encouraging students to stand up, be active, and make healthy life choices so that they
may live a long, prosperous life. Each year, more people join the community with 2015
displaying a record high of 49.6% of Americans being shown to work out at least three
days a week according to a survey done by WedMD The men and women who make up
the college health and fitness community are strong and determined individuals who are
eager to spread awareness of a healthy lifestyle help anyone reach their fitness goals.

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Works Cited

Fox, Maggie. "The Whole World Is Getting Fatter, New Survey Finds - NBC
News." NBC News. 27 May 2014. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.nbcnews.com/health/diet-fitness/whole-world-getting-fatter-new-

survey-finds-n115811>.
"Exercise and Stress: Get Moving to Manage Stress." Mayo Clinic. 16 Apr. 2015.
Web. 02 Feb. 2016. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-

management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469>.
"Obesity." Stanford Health Care. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.

<https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/healthy-living/obesity.html>.
"Percent of Americans Who Exercise Regularly." Statistic Brain. WebMD, 25 Jan.
2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2016. <http://www.statisticbrain.com/percent-of-americans-

who-exercise-regularly/>.
Viner, Steven. "Social Media Statistics: How College Students Are Using Social
Networking -." Studybreaks. 07 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
<http://studybreakscollegemedia.com/2014/social-media-statistics-how-collegestudents-are-using-social-networking/>.