logos, pathos, ethos

I think the most effective form of rhetorical communication is probably pathos. Appealing to people’s emotions is generally the best way to get a response out of them. I think if you play off of people’s fears and worries, you will generally get more of a response out of them. I was watching the political debate tonight, and I was looking for examples of these three types of communication and which one would be used the most. I saw examples of the candidates using pathos appeals when talking about the economy. They tried to say that right now it is bad, but if you elect them they will fix it for you. This probably isn’t completely true, but nevertheless it makes us feel good.
I think the most popular form of appeal used was probably ethos. It seemed Mitt Romney and John Mccain wanted to question each others character a lot. They talked about who would be a better leader and why. Romney liked to talk about how he was an expert at business because of his background, and McCain wanted to be the expert in military because of his background. I think it was very interesting how they used the character charges more than any of the other types of communication. It seemed the lesser two candidates, Ron Paul and Huckabee, tried using Logos arguments to appear reasonable and knowledgeable, but probably aren’t going to get much points for not appealing to our emotions.

more about social networking

I am further amazed at how many more websites I have come across that are forms of Web 2.0, specifically social networks. There are sites out there like Xanga, Faceparty, Cardomain, and many other sites that involve Web 2.0 that serve social purposes. The ironic thing is that I came across these sites through Wikipedia (a 2.0 member itself). It seems this boom is going to continue for a long time, and the amount of people will most likely grow larger that use these. While generations change and people get older, the younger crowd will take over the use of these social network sites. I would be very excited if I were one of the lucky ones who came up with these ideas.
I still think the most amazing thing about social sites are how much information people are willing to share about themselves. People are willing to put up pictures of themselves doing almost anything, and are willing to write revealing information as well. It’s funny because these are personal things that they probably wouldn’t be willing to share if they were asked to by their teacher on the first day of class, but are ok with letting random people see. I think this aspect may pose some major questions and problems in the future.

About rhetoric

Rhetoric is especially relevant to our society during political election years like the one we are in now. Every politician uses it to speak to the masses about issues that they think are important to us. Turn on any news channel and you’ll most likely hear a politician talking about “change” or maybe “cleaning up Washington”. These are all ideas that are appealing and create images in our minds of good things that these people want to do. It is funny because none of this is actually specific. You hardly ever hear these candidates discuss how they can actually change and what they would change, or how they can clean Washington, but it sounds good to say it broadly. This is generally because most people only catch and remember that rhetorical phrase that sounds like something good rather than some specific, detailed, and generally boring outline.
I really don’t think there is any better example of rhetoric in society than through politics. When people don’t have to get specific and can engage in manipulative and non-binding language, it is hard to pin them down. Politicians don’t want to be pinned down. They want to be able to shift positions if something becomes unpopular quickly. They put the responsibility of finding out what they really believe on each individual citizen.

Jan 23 readings

I think Tim O’ Reilly’s article goes into great detail about software application and what it means for Web 2.0. I found the part about Bittorrent software the most interesting because that is an application I use. It is true that the more people use a file, the better it works. I find on Bittorent that when something has more people “seeding” a file, it downloads faster and is better quality. When more people become familiar with a new software and start using it, they figure out ways to make it better and bring more people into using it so it becomes mainstream. I also think Wikipedia is a fascinating idea. The fact that anyone anywhere can edit whatever they want, and millions of people will probably read it and accept it as fact is amazing. It really seems to me like one of the top forms of Web 2.0. I think before long we will have to ask ourselves whether it is more important to have many multiple forms of text on the internet that everyone can contribute to, or to have limited amounts of it with factual accuracy.

Reading Facebook

There is little doubt in my mind that nearly everyone under 25 is on Facebook. I am stunned at how many people I knew from high school and college are on the site. It’s amazing how everyone seems so open to sharing personal details and images of themselves. The majority of tagged pictures I see often involve the individual drinking, partying, or hanging out with people. I find it strange that people would actually want others to see them drinking. If you don’t change the privacy settings, than anyone in your network can see your profile and such. Imagine your employer, teacher, or even your parent logging in and seeing your pictures of being really drunk. I think people see Facebook as an abstract form of communication; they don’t fully understand that people they don’t know actually will look at their profiles. They think only their friends would want to see what they are doing when truly many potential important people might want to.
The messages that people write on each other’s walls are generally about hanging out or how they miss each other. This reinforces Facebook as a top new way of communicating. The fact that people leave messages asking what they should do later that same night means that these people have full confidence that the other person is going to use Facebook that very day. I think this shows that what Facebook does is it keeps people in sync, and also acts as a way of keeping in touch with people you probably otherwise wouldn’t have any contact with anymore. It serves as a social link that wouldn’t exist if not for Web 2.0.