Facebook Facades

                Facebook photos can offer the individual a unique perspective of another’s life through the stylistic elements present in that snapshot. While not all of these elements are intentional, they nonetheless contribute to the rhetorical effectiveness of the media. The photos on one’s Facebook profile undoubtedly craft a certain portrayal of that person whether or not these characteristics belong to the person in question. However, each of these moments are captured and later shared with the world to persuade onlookers that the subject of the photograph is to be perceived in the desired fashion as with any form of expression. A self-analysis of my own Facebook profile picture reveals the purposeful and implied rhetorical ploys that determine the persuasion of my picture.

                The invention of my argument begins with the message that I want to deliver to the world or the main idea. In this context, I feel it appropriate to deem the purpose of this photograph was to persuade my friends that I am an eccentric individual who enjoys humor in all settings. This all manifests through my choice of posing in a child’s racecar ride in a mall. To further this argument, I considered the arrangement of the elements in the photograph. I chose to have the picture taken from the side with the primary focus on me. Arrangement also considers  the setting in which I chose to take the picture; the choice of the mall implies that I disregard the scrutiny of the public in order to attempt humor in my own fashion. The style of my argument is perhaps the most significant as it employs all of my unique characteristics to persuade. While I was indoors, I felt it necessary to put on my sunglasses for purposeful effect to aid in the contrast of cool and not cool. The combination of invention, arrangement and style are all represented as part of the rhetorical persuasion that my photo seeks to achieve. However, it ultimately falls upon the audience as to whether or not it receives the desired attention.   

Rhetoric in Daily Life

Rhetoric surrounds the individual in all facets of engagement in which one might find himself or herself. As communication technology exponentially develops, the presence of rhetoric will also increase with an even greater number of mediums with which to engage the public. Currently, the internet seems to dominate this realm of rhetorical persuasion in which the average user is subjected to a cripplingly large amount of advertisements en route to a website that will likely include media imploring the use of rhetoric. For example, if one were to watch a Youtube video, he or she would likely watch a video advertisement for a car company before watching the intended video. In an increasingly technological society, rhetoric plays a significant role in my life as well as that of many others as companies persuade the public to buy the technology that enables them to be further immersed in the rhetorical ploys of news sites, advertisements, mobile applications, etc. Without technologies, the extent of rhetoric in my daily life is still surprising. Fliers and billboards still clutter barren walls and roads respectively perhaps even to a greater extent living in a college town where any number of sentiments or announcements may posted given such a diverse student base. Still the elements of rhetoric persist in each of these mediums, engaging the audience and enticing a provocation of thought whether it be a concert poster or an opportunity to contribute to a charitable cause. As I am exposed to rhetoric in day to day dealings, I also exert my own persuasion through rhetorical situations. When convincing someone not to do something, it’s often easy to assume the slippery slope argument which appeals to logos in regards to rhetoric. While a fallacy in logic, the appeal to logos is nevertheless the same and seeks to persuade one by the argument that one minor decision can determine the course of events given no evidence of a correlation between the two. However, in any social interaction, I implore rhetoric in my every day speech and conversations, making direct and indirect appeals to the logos, pathos and ethos of my “audience” just as any other individual does. As we’re constantly exposed to rhetoric in our daily lives, at what point does society become completely desensitized to certain, if not all, aspects of rhetorical persuasion?