Preface

We are constantly bombarded by persuasive messages. Everyone from advertisers and politicians to our friends and colleagues seek to gain our support for their ideas, products, or services. In today's world, persuaders use increasingly sophisticated ways of exerting influence over the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of their audiences. It is essential, therefore, that we develop an ability to critically analyze the myriad of persuasive messages we encounter. Consider two brief examples:

A television commercial for a new car tells us much more than how many miles to the gallon the car gets or which safety features it includes. Automobile advertising tells us what kind of cars we should drive, the cultural importance of driving particular cars, and why it is important to have the freedom of mobility that driving affords. We often don't even realize how the implicit messages of advertisers affect our attitudes and, ultimately, our buying behavior.

Politicians--in combination with news media sources--use public opinion polling to shape the public's agenda, telling us which issues are important and which are not. While this agenda may be reflective of some people's priorities, it is just as likely to exclude the priorities of many others. In fact, politicians purposely create agendas that ignore many members of the public, instead targeting smaller, more influential groups that can help them win re-election.

As persuaders begin to target individuals through direct-broadcast satellites, direct mail, and narrowcasting television programming, the challenge of making informed decisions is even greater.

Persuasion in the Media Age explores the nature of persuasion today and offers strategies for critically evaluating persuasive communication. This text provides a contemporary response to an age-old problem: understanding and adapting to the technological advances in our society. Today's world demands a new perspective of persuasion: one that is grounded in the assumption that human consciousness has been forever altered by communication technology. In order to respond to this fast-paced change, we must move beyond traditional theories to better understand how to respond to and evaluate persuasive communication in this era of technological advances.

Persuasion in the Media Age provides a contemporary, interdisciplinary approach to the study of persuasion. In addition to teaching the basic principles of persuasion, the goal of the text is to emphasize the role that media and technology play in contemporary persuasive practices and to teach strategies for developing critical responses to persuasion.

The challenge in creating such a text is in drawing from a wide variety of theorists, including many who have not been featured in traditional treatments of persuasion. The content in this book draws heavily from Kenneth Burke's theory of identification, as well as from the work of such theorists as Walter Ong, Neil Postman, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Michael Calvin McGee, and others. Together, these scholars contend that persuasion in a society constantly adapts to its cultural beliefs and values, as well as to the economic and social structures that govern the society.

An emphasis on the media age There is an emphasis throughout on how persuasion has been changed by electronic media. Starting with the view that human consciousness, culture, and epistemology have been forever changed by electronic media, the text details how persuaders have altered their strategies in order to identify with today's audience members.

Interdisciplinary approach Persuasion in the Media Age presents a theory of contemporary persuasion that is informed by the work of scholars in many disciplines. The disciplines of anthropology, cultural studies, sociology, management, political science, history, women's studies, marketing, human communication studies, and rhetorical studies are represented in the text. This interdisciplinary approach seeks to bring together the latest thinking on persuasion, while also drawing on foundational concepts, such as attitudes, rhetoric, and human motivation.

Emphasis on audience and visual images Chapters on audience and visual images are unique to this treatment of persuasion. Today's persuaders use sophisticated methods to understand and target audiences. These methods are explored in Chapter 5. Likewise, persuasion today uses the powerful symbolism of visual images to identify with audiences. Chapter 6 addresses how visual images suggest meaning and how persuaders use them.

Emphasis on ethics Chapter 3 is devoted to ethics, and all chapters include a discussion of ethics as it relates to that chapter's subject matter, found in boxes titled "Ethical Insights." The text uses the National Communication Association Credo for Ethical Communication as one touchstone for ethical issues. The ethics discussions are framed in a way that allows for discussion about the case study featured and the ethical issues involved.

Contemporary examples Throughout the text, many contemporary examples of persuasion are used to augment the concepts discussed. These examples come from popular culture, advertising, politics, and organizational life. Students will be able to identify with these examples and form meaningful connections between the content and their lives.

Specific contexts The last section of the text provides separate chapters covering a variety of specific, persuasive contexts, including politics, social movements, advertising, and interpersonal persuasion.

This book is organized into three main parts. Part I examines the core concepts in persuasion. Chapter 1 presents an overview of persuasion in the media age and a definition that will guide our study. Chapter 2 surveys the range of theories that have been used to examine persuasion. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between ethics and contemporary mediated persuasion.

Part II analyzes the key variables in the persuasion process. Chapter 4 examines the media while Chapter 5 discusses the audience. Chapters 6 and 7 examine the visual images and language strategies that persuaders use to communicate their message. Chapter 8 studies the interaction between persuasion and culture. Chapters 9, 10, and 11 reflect the Aristotelian concepts of ethos, logos, and pathos, focusing on the source, the reasoning process, and motivational appeals.

Part III discusses how persuaders use the variables of the persuasion process in various settings. Chapter 12 examines political persuasion. Chapter 13 discusses the persuasiveness of movements. Chapter 14 discusses how persuaders identify with audiences through advertising. Chapter 15 looks at the ways individuals use persuasion theory in their daily interactions with others. Finally, Chapter 16 surveys how persuaders create persuasive presentations.

The text is fully supported by an on-line learning center for students and faculty, which can be found at www.mhhe.com/borchers. The site contains activities, relevant links, study guides, and teaching resources. The Web site is designed to allow readers to explore in more detail issues identified at certain points in the text.

In addition to the on-line learning center, there is an instructor's manual available for this text. The manual includes pedagogical tips, detailed chapter outlines, media suggestions, sample syllabi, suggested exercises, and test questions designed to assist in teaching.

I wish to thank many individuals for their enthusiasm, insight, and encouragement during my work on this project. My effort has been sustained by colleagues, students, mentors, friends, and family.

My colleagues and students at Minnesota State University Moorhead have been extremely supportive of this project for the past two years. I am fortunate to work in an environment that nurtures both teaching and research, which I think this project brings together in a unique way. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the support of Jim Bartruff, Dave Gaer, Lynn Harter, Ted Larson, Scott Titsworth, David Wheeler, and Dean Virginia Klenk. Special thanks to Scott for taking over my forensic coaching duties for a year so I could write this book. I regret that Ted did not live to see the final text of this book; he would have enjoyed my perspective on media.

I am indebted to the staff at the MSUM library. They filled my every request and sent constant reminders about overdue books. Peg O'Neill and Dianne Schmidt were especially helpful.

My students--too numerous to name--have been a constant source of ideas, inspiration, and patience. Michelle Redepenning was particularly helpful researching this book.

I also wish to acknowledge the support and wisdom of my mentors at Wayne State University and at the University of Nebraska, including Jack Kay, Bernie Brock, George Ziegelmueller, Matt Seeger, Ed Pappas, Ann Burnett, Roger Aden, Matt Sobnosky, and Kate Joeckel. They impressed upon me the joy of learning and taking new perspectives. I also thank Mark Meister of North Dakota State University for his friendship and advice.

My parents, Glenn and Carole Borchers, and my extended family have been incredibly supportive of this project, as well.

The individuals at Mayfield/McGraw-Hill have been instrumental in guiding this project to its completion. Holly Allen supported this project since its inception as a reading packet for my students. Her guidance, encouragement, and faith in my abilities and in the project was incredible. Holly Paulsen organized the production of the book and made sure that all details received careful attention. Beverley J. DeWitt's comments and corrections were thorough, precise, and meticulous. I appreciate her diligence and insight. I also wish to thank Kirstan Price and Barbara Armentrout for their comments on early drafts that transformed several elements of the book to be truly useful for student readers.

A great deal of credit goes to the reviewers for the text, including Bill Benoit, University of Missouri, Columbia; Michael Bruner, University of North Texas; Janet Davis, Truman State; Kathy German, Miami University; Steve Goldzwig, Marquette University; William Henderson, University of Northern Iowa; Susan Holton, Bridgewater State University; Katherine Kinnick, Kennesaw State University; Roseann Mandzuik, Southwest Texas State University; Beth Messner, Ball State University; Nina-Jo Moore, Appalachian State University; Janette Muir, George Mason University; Roy Schwartzman, University of South Carolina; John Smith, State University of New York, Oswego; Patricia Sullivan, State University of New York, New Paltz; Dennis White, Arkansas State University; and Andrew Wood, San Jose State University. Their praise encouraged me, and their criticism sharpened the analysis and coverage of the book. I thank them for their insightful and thorough comments.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the support of my wife, Susanne Williams. A great deal of writing for this book took place during the evening hours or on weekends and holidays. She never demanded equal attention and for that I am most grateful. She was, and is, a constant source of support, encouragement, and inspiration to me. As I finished this book, my wife and I were blessed with the arrival of our son, Oliver. His smile, laughter, and constant curiosity inspired and humored me in the final days of writing.