Persuasion in the Media and Text What’s the Message? Persuasion in the Media and Text

What are Media Messages? A media message is a message spread through mass communication, such as radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. They are created to reach a large number of people all at once. Usually they appeal to the emotions of the audience.

How do media messages persuade you? All media messages try to persuade you by using implicit or explicit messages Explicit messages in media are clearly stated obvious messages, and implicit messages are other things that might be less obvious, more like “hidden messages.”

Some examples are: Explicit In a TV commercial, a voice says, “This shampoo will make your hair look smooth and shiny.” A magazine ad for a beauty product claims, “Great skin plus SPF. In a TV commercial, the viewer is asked to donate money to save the animals and stop animal cruelty. Implicit Every one of the beautiful models in a TV commercial for shampoo has long, shiny, curly hair. The model pictured in the ad with a focus on anti-aging beauty products looks to be about 25 years old. In a TV commercial, there is a picture of a captive bear in a cage wearing a harness and muzzle. When viewing media messages remember that what is not said is just as important as what is said!

Persuasion begins with a claim Claim: the main point or argument. The central idea that the speaker wants to persuade the audience to agree with.

Also to be considered in persuasion Purpose: What is the speaker trying to persuade his/her audience to do? Audience: To whom is he/she speaking? Context: Why? When? Where?

Rhetorical Fallacies Rhetorical fallacies are errors that occur in arguments. Authors use fallacies as a “trick” when writing persuasively. They are used to support the claim Mostly used in speeches and editorials, rather than actual media.

Bias Sometimes an authors’ own thoughts, feelings or beliefs can cause him or her to ignore evidence. Strong emotions can make an author see things from only one side rather than think carefully about the facts.

An overstatement or stretching of the truth Exaggeration An overstatement or stretching of the truth

Stereotype An oversimplified idea that usually implies a prejudiced attitude about particular group of people.

Categorical Claim An author may say something about one group or thing and imply that it pertains to or represents all of those things.

Ad Hominem An attack on a persons character in order to sway peoples opinions about him or her.

Other evidence used to support a claim An analogy or comparison. If the speakers claim is difficult to understand, they will often compare it to a simpler idea. Using an authority or expert opinion. Using an anecdote to add humor. Examples