Persuasive Communication
Summary
Me and the media
Week 11: Powerful media
The History
Mediarevolutions:
1- Digitalization
2- No difference between user and producer
3- Interpersonal communications by using media
Producer + consumer = prosumer
On social media you produce and consume
POWERFUL MEDIA (THEORIES)
The dull:
1. Linear process of information
2. Passive audiences
3. Uniform effect (mass audiences)
4. Stimulus AND Response (S&R)
5. Direct relation between message and effect
6. Simple/Uniform media landscape
-> radio and newspapers -> only for people who can afford it
Noise (Anything that interferes
with reaching the
understanding goal in
communication) >
,Stimulus and response ^
1. Magic Bullet
It graphically suggests that the message is a bullet, fired from the media gun into the viewer's
head.
2. Hypodermic Needle
Implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences -> during
the election e.g., it is injected into people’s head.
3. Assembly Belt
4. Stimulus-Response
The first theory about the media and audiences (See graphic above)
What kind of effects does the powerful media have?
1. Knowledgge, opinions, attitude, behaviour
2. Short vs. Long-term effects
3. Intentional and unintentional effects
4. Psychological and sociological
5. Culture and society (politics)
6. Organisations and commerce
7. Knowledge, opinions, attitude, behaviour
8. Short vs long term effects
Intentional and unintentional effects
Psychological and sociological
Culture and society (politics)
Organisations and commerce
9.
PROPAGANDA:
Information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are
broadcast, published or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people's
opinions.
The power of media according to Goebbels is:
1. Entertainment
2. Enjoyment
3. Education (expertise they have)
4. Politics
5. Instruction (fight for the country; CTA -> Call to Action)
The power of the media has led to the development of different techniques of propaganda
that are still used today in advertisements, news and political campaigns.
The goal: To approve something without looking closely at the evidence.
Propaganda uses emotion and avoid critical thinking
7 TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:
1. Name-calling
- The use of names that evoke fear/hatred in the viewer
, - Linking a person, or idea, to a negative symbol
- example: terrorist, communist, pig, Karen, red-necks
2. Glittering generality
- The act of referring to words or ides (or images) that evoke a positive emotional response from
the audience
- The opposite of name-calling
- Example: politicians as heroes and food ads
3. Transfer
- Relating something or someone with a particular symbol
- creating an association
- Example: using religious or national symbols (Katy Perry wearing an outfit representing the
American flag)
4. Testimonial
- The use of someone’s testimony (famous people) to support/reject a certain idea or to endorse
a product or service
- Example: celebrity endorsements
5. Plain folks
- Presenting an idea/person as “normal” and widely spread
- The message (in campaigns or ads) appears to make the person to be “one of the people”
6. Bandwagon
- It attempts to persuade the target audience to take a course of action everyone else is taking
- Join the crowd!
- Example: Tiktok trends
7. Card stacking
- Only showing the products’ best features
- Telling half-truths
- Omitting or lying about its potential problems
- Example: Head and Shoulders shampoo
Greenwashing and windowdressing:
‘Tell the truth, nothing but the truth but not the whole truth’
DECIDING WHAT’S NEWS
ETHICAL DILEMMAS PROFESSIONAL
DILEMMAS
EXPOSE OR FRONT PAGE OR
NOT? BACK PAGE?
DEFEND- VISUALS
CORPORATE (FRAMING)
BEHAVIOUR FACTS OR
OR NOT? BACKGROUND
INTERPRETATION
Week 2: The Not So Powerful Media
CHARACTERISTICS OF NOT SO POWERFUL MEDIA :
Summary
Me and the media
Week 11: Powerful media
The History
Mediarevolutions:
1- Digitalization
2- No difference between user and producer
3- Interpersonal communications by using media
Producer + consumer = prosumer
On social media you produce and consume
POWERFUL MEDIA (THEORIES)
The dull:
1. Linear process of information
2. Passive audiences
3. Uniform effect (mass audiences)
4. Stimulus AND Response (S&R)
5. Direct relation between message and effect
6. Simple/Uniform media landscape
-> radio and newspapers -> only for people who can afford it
Noise (Anything that interferes
with reaching the
understanding goal in
communication) >
,Stimulus and response ^
1. Magic Bullet
It graphically suggests that the message is a bullet, fired from the media gun into the viewer's
head.
2. Hypodermic Needle
Implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences -> during
the election e.g., it is injected into people’s head.
3. Assembly Belt
4. Stimulus-Response
The first theory about the media and audiences (See graphic above)
What kind of effects does the powerful media have?
1. Knowledgge, opinions, attitude, behaviour
2. Short vs. Long-term effects
3. Intentional and unintentional effects
4. Psychological and sociological
5. Culture and society (politics)
6. Organisations and commerce
7. Knowledge, opinions, attitude, behaviour
8. Short vs long term effects
Intentional and unintentional effects
Psychological and sociological
Culture and society (politics)
Organisations and commerce
9.
PROPAGANDA:
Information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are
broadcast, published or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people's
opinions.
The power of media according to Goebbels is:
1. Entertainment
2. Enjoyment
3. Education (expertise they have)
4. Politics
5. Instruction (fight for the country; CTA -> Call to Action)
The power of the media has led to the development of different techniques of propaganda
that are still used today in advertisements, news and political campaigns.
The goal: To approve something without looking closely at the evidence.
Propaganda uses emotion and avoid critical thinking
7 TYPES OF PROPAGANDA:
1. Name-calling
- The use of names that evoke fear/hatred in the viewer
, - Linking a person, or idea, to a negative symbol
- example: terrorist, communist, pig, Karen, red-necks
2. Glittering generality
- The act of referring to words or ides (or images) that evoke a positive emotional response from
the audience
- The opposite of name-calling
- Example: politicians as heroes and food ads
3. Transfer
- Relating something or someone with a particular symbol
- creating an association
- Example: using religious or national symbols (Katy Perry wearing an outfit representing the
American flag)
4. Testimonial
- The use of someone’s testimony (famous people) to support/reject a certain idea or to endorse
a product or service
- Example: celebrity endorsements
5. Plain folks
- Presenting an idea/person as “normal” and widely spread
- The message (in campaigns or ads) appears to make the person to be “one of the people”
6. Bandwagon
- It attempts to persuade the target audience to take a course of action everyone else is taking
- Join the crowd!
- Example: Tiktok trends
7. Card stacking
- Only showing the products’ best features
- Telling half-truths
- Omitting or lying about its potential problems
- Example: Head and Shoulders shampoo
Greenwashing and windowdressing:
‘Tell the truth, nothing but the truth but not the whole truth’
DECIDING WHAT’S NEWS
ETHICAL DILEMMAS PROFESSIONAL
DILEMMAS
EXPOSE OR FRONT PAGE OR
NOT? BACK PAGE?
DEFEND- VISUALS
CORPORATE (FRAMING)
BEHAVIOUR FACTS OR
OR NOT? BACKGROUND
INTERPRETATION
Week 2: The Not So Powerful Media
CHARACTERISTICS OF NOT SO POWERFUL MEDIA :
