Persuasion in Blogs

After viewing the video on the science of persuasion, I believe that all the techniques with the exception of "Liking" can easily and effectively employed by bloggers. The reason that the liking technique presents a challenge in my mind is because I felt like this is an activity that needed to be engaged in a more direct form of communication like face-to-face or audio dialogue. While a blog accepts comments, it feels like a much more difficult activity to engage in to create cooperation, paying compliments, and finding similar interests unless there is a live chat feature between author and reader.

Reciprocity and scarcity may be a bit more challenging as well, but I can see someone sending an "e-gift" to blog readers (I'm thinking about free subscriptions to paid content or small discounts for partner sites as examples of reciprocity.) While the video example of scarcity referenced the reduction in the Concord flight schedule, creating a need to "act now" while "supplies last" of something could lend itself to the scarcity technique. However, in my example, it feels like reciprocity and scarcity may be more intertwined when it comes to persuasive blogging.

Authority, consistency, and consensus seem to be the most relevant techniques to a persuasive blog post. If an author of a blog is able to establish credibility on the subject, get people to start with small commitments then move to larger actions, and show how others have acted in the same/similar situations, I think the reader can be persuaded.

In my estimation I would think that all three elements (ethos, pathos, and logos) are employed in some form or fashion. The degree to which element is most prevalent, however, would depend on the type of blog and the overall goal of the writer. Thinking about the Covid-19 outbreak for example, I imagine that many blogs would focus on logic and reason to convince others of the need to self-quarantine and social distance. But, thinking about people with elderly parents/grandparents, there would seem to be an emotional appeal as well to persuade readers to be responsible during this crisis. However, without having read a ton of blogs, I think that pathos (the emotional appeal) would be most likely employed to move people into action. I think things that move people emotionally have much more impact on people's actions.

The Art of the Personal Essay

                I think the thing that most struck me with Mr. Lopate’s “The Art of the Personal Essay” was how he mentioned that the personal essayist is creating a persona; he mentioned the concept of the “idler” or “loafer.” He described how these authors sort of paint themselves on the outskirts of the mainstream marketplace and are in a way curmudgeonly. It very much made me think about, for those old enough to remember, the Andy Rooney segment at the end of 60 Minutes. He, much like Mr. Lopate suggests, was often reflecting on a time when things were simpler or different than today; almost like someone trapped in long-ago time unable to process what is happening in the world around them today.

                I also found the comment about the personal essayist exploring a subject or theme, raising a valid counter-point, and weaving the two together in an effective and compelling manner. One of the strengths in writing effective personal essays is the ability to have a point of view, have a sense of authority on the subject, understand the opposing point(s)-of-view, but being able to compel and bring the audience to that understanding of a universality that readers can agree with. To me this approach seems to take a sort of “every man” view or a sort of street-corner philosopher who has knowledge, but doesn’t necessarily come across as a preachy, know-it-all, but rather a wisdom that comes from experience.

                Today social media has become the place where our street-corner philosophers reside. I believe that social media is an important, albeit sometimes dangerous, part of influencing people’s behavior. As an example, the fact that news and information can pass from Facebook’s 2+ billion users quickly around the globe is both a blessing and a curse. Given that there is no “vetting” of information being posted (and the fact that fake accounts or news stories can easily be created) can lead to mis-information being spread as well. If we look at the events of the recent Coronavirus outbreak in the United States there was a lot of unnecessary panic being created causing grocery store shelves to be wiped clean in certain areas of the country. But there are also times when social media can be used to spread good and useful information (the “ice bucket” challenge comes to mind as positive influence incident.)

                An example that I can think of where a company unintentionally influenced people came when Chic-Fil-A’s CEO made comments about same-sex marriages. While these comments had less of an impact on the core customers of the company, many socially conscious individuals who support the cause of the LGBTQ+ community refused to support a business with such biased views against a segment of our population. While business may not have been impacted substantially, it has created an image, for me, what Chic-Fil-A stands for and I have decided that it is not a company that I would choose to support with my business. This is an example of negative influence, so I am certain that the opposite has happened where unintentional positive support has happened. In fact, just thinking about the Coronavirus yet again (since it dominates much of the news right now, and rightfully so) several professional athletes have pledged to donate toward the employees of the arenas/stadiums where they play to help them while the sports world is on hiatus. I’ve also seen other businesses opting not to charge rent to their small business tenants in an effort to keep them viable while the country works through this unprecedented time in our history. I think these sorts of stories have influenced people to help when and where they can the people who have been severely impacted by the economic strain we’re going through.

                I would say that, I don’t believe that I have enough friends or followers to be considered an influencer… if anything I would fall into that unintentional category. But, I’m sure to some small extent we are all influencers. It may not be broad or vast influence like Kim Kardashian or even our current President, but among our small social groups, friends and family we all probably influence to some extent. And sometimes we influence people not to do certain things based on our behavior or experiences as a sort of “cautionary tale” to those paying close attention.

Truth in Memoir

In Caroline van de Pol's thesis paper, Truth in Memoir, I think her general argument is that the lines between truth (or what we believe to be truth) and fiction are often blurred... and the reverse is also true. But, looking through the lens of fiction in memoir Ms. van de Pol utilizes her own writing experience of her memoir Ways to Fly as a way to show how her memoir blurred these lines. She also incorporates examples from other memoir writers and researchers to demonstrate how truth becomes fictionalized.

I think that this is incredibly true and her point is well made. Unless someone is capturing every memory and event contemporaneously (which would be difficult to do - especially as a three-, four-, five-year old, etc.) memories become malleable. As she writes in her paper, "...autobiographies do not form indisputable authorities, but rather offer one person's view of truth, a truth that can be distorted by memory and the telling of it." There are certain things that our ingrained in our brains, but as we grow and gain distance from an event, we reinterpret what happened, how we felt, what it meant through a certain lens of our current experiences. As Ms. van de Pol quotes researcher Liz Stanley, "remembering... constantly evokes a reinterpretation of the past in the present."

There are a couple of questions that she poses, but one in particular grabbed my attention: Does narrating a life fictionalize it? As I think about this question, my answer would be sure. But fiction does not, in my mind, necessarily equate to untruth. When we tell stories (or at least when I tell stories) I can't help but add elements which I believe make it more compelling or interesting to the reader/listener. But I think that there is a difference between fiction and untruth - particularly when you consider how the lines between the two often are blurred. Fiction often contains certain elements of truth and vice versa.

The best way I can think to summarize my thoughts on Truth in Memoir would be if I were to write about my high school graduation moments after it happened. I could probably tell very specific and accurate details of where I sat, who I walked with, who from my family attended, where we went to lunch to celebrate afterwards, how excited I was for the next stage in my life, and a myriad of other specific details. If I were to write about that ten years after graduation some of those details would probably be a little bit hazy, and it's almost certain that I would interject different opinions about the event at age 28 that I wouldn't have at 18 - maybe instead of being excited about the next chapter, maybe at 28 I would be thinking about how that would create a longing for simpler days. And I'm sure that story would continue to evolve if I wrote about graduation 20, 30, or 40 years later. I don't doubt that certain details wouldn't change - where it was at, who some of the people were that I captured pictures with, and roughly when the ceremony happened for example. But interjecting my 30-, 40-, or 50-year old self into that memoir would most certainly happen. So, it becomes somewhat fictionalized, but there are elements of truth that exist. More importantly, who's to say that my memory is NOT my truth. It's my story. It's my perspective.