media uses rhetoric to persuade

After reading the article Backpacks vs. Briefcases I realized how many articles, blog post, and images send a rhetoric message. Media uses rhetoric to persuade the audience, us, by using one of the rhetorical appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos). A good example of media using rhetorical appeals is when an animal shelter commercial appears on television and they show a dog with a broken leg limping asking for any donations to help animals in that specific shelter. The goal of this commercial is that hopefully whoever is watching it feels bad for those animals and send in a donation. If we refuse to stop and think about how and why it persuades us, we can become mindless consumers who buy into arguments about what makes us value ourselves and what makes us happy (Carroll pg. 47). If we don’t know how rhetoric is being used then we won’t be able distinguish if it is for the audience’s benefit or the rhetor (writer/speaker). 

Media uses rhetoric to get to the audience by using celebrities, meaning if a celebrity comes out with a clothing line, new album, new television show they want to make sure we consuming their product or products. They want to advertise their new clothing line, album etc. Earlier today while I was checking my email I came across an article about Rihanna’s new album, Rihanna’s ‘Anti’ Album Sells Only 460 Copies but Still Considered a Platinum Album. When I first read the title I already knew the writer was going to give reasons on how this album is a good one even though it hasn’t sold many copies. In other words, try to persuade us to buy the album so it can be a “big hit in the music industry”. I also though that the rhetor was hoping to see the words “Platinum Album” and want to out and buy it without bothering to read the article.  However, I was wrong about thinking the author was only going to explain why this is still a good album. Instead, the article was about how Rihanna’s new album didn’t reach their expected goal compared to her last album because it was released late. This article is using rhetorical appeals by stating the facts about Rihanna’s new album. The author, Jake Willis, states facts on why the album didn’t sell many copies and how it was released late by doing so he is using logos to get to the readers. At the end of the article he states that this album is expected to go off the charts in the next couple of weeks, which encourages readers to want to buy the album. I also noticed when I was reading the article in between the paragraphs there were links to other articles about Rihanna. Media does this so that hopefully we think the article we are currently reading is persuasive enough to convince us to continue reading about Rihanna. They do this because the media is aware that the reader is most likely a Rihanna fan wanting to know more about her albums or personal life and continues reading about it.