It is obvious that we all wake up and sleep in a world where digital and visual rhetoric is part of our daily basis. Whether we are communicating with friends or family via text, scrolling down on our social media, posting a timeline, working at our jobs, commenting on a Facebook post, or simply reacting to others’ content, every single day we are part of this digitalization world head to toe.Reading Eyman’s Chapters 1 and 2 on Digital Rhetoric gave me a better idea of distinguishing three important terms: Rhetoric alone, Digital Rhetoric, and Visual Rhetoric. Although I will briefly examine the difference between each of these terms, this blog post will mainly focus on Visual Rhetoric and its impact on our lives.
While approaches to rhetoric date since early ages and Aristotle considered rhetoric as the “art of persuasion” Eyman communicates that in today’s world, rhetoric is associated with meaning and persuasion is knowledge and belief rather than just words because words are not the only one that is in use but it’s their meaning and the context that built the act of persuasion. I like the idea that rhetoric’s power in modern times it is not seen only as a way of using words to persuade but more as a way of making meaning of the words that are said. Moreover, Eyman also draws attention to the general association of the term “digital” with electronics or computers in particular. According to Eyman, “any system made up of individual elements satisfies the technical definition”(Eyman 165). For instance, writing whether in its printed version or in the electronic form can be considered a “digital ” mechanism because clearly it is a product of the digital system.
Digital rhetoric on the other side is defined as “defined as the application of rhetorical theory (as analytic method or heuristic for production) to digital texts and performances” (Eyman 140). In addition, Eyman notes that digital rhetoric is used in any rhetorical field whether that is traditional, classical, or contemporary rhetoric. One important rhetorical field of digital rhetoric is visual rhetoric. According to Eyman the closest one to describe visual rhetoric in a more specific way is Roland Barthes who suggests that visual rhetoric or “The Rhetoric of the Image” is a discipline of digital rhetoric where the meaning can be read through the visual elements rather than words itself. While there is no concrete definition that states what visual rhetoric is I am sure that we all know about it because it is everywhere. Literally everywhere.Beginning with your phone, advertisements you encounter all day long in your social media, especially the annoying ones that we have to skip so we can continue watching our videos, visuals in grocery stores, restaurants and mostly the ones we see in the fast food industry.
In writing the author usually uses ethos, pathos, or logos to build on the logic of an argument or convince the audience to trust the narrator. In visual rhetorics it’s the visual images, colors shapes, and strong designs that create just the appropriate visual ethos to persuade people into something. Think about Mc. Donald’s unique red color and yellow arches. These are colors that our brain instantly thinks of as soon as someone mentions Mc. Donald’s.
Although we are well aware of our wise and poor food choices McDonald’s super strong formula on the ingredients they use, advertisements they create, cheap prices along with the use of the powerful colors they simply create meaning in our head and appeal to our visual sensibilities.
Besides the colors which indicate a fun and warm atmosphere filled with excitement, happiness, and increase in appetite McDonald’s has managed to target customers of all ages through the use of visual rhetoric. For instance, on my way to IKEA in Hicksville, it is impossible for my daughter to not scream in the car so she can stop to play at the McDonald’s Funhouse. Of course, playing without eating something at McDonald’s is a big NO for the parents, so she has to order a happy meal too!
Apparently, my daughter loves the way they have designed the box (almost like a purse she says) and I can carry it Mom🤔.
Moreover, she knows there is a surprise toy inside, and all the choices a little kid her age would want to. If we pay attention to the visuals, bright colors on the food products, gigantic food items (which in reality you get totally the opposite), and pictures that show people of all ages with wide smiles eating McDonald’s one can easily draw the conclusion that it is the visual rhetoric that creates meaning for customers and persuades them to eat McMcDonald’s. It is through visual rhetoric that happiness is associated with McDonald’s products.
Eyman, Douglas. Digital Rhetoric: Theory, Method, Practice. Chapter 1: Defining and Locating Digital Rhetoric. (43-165)