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Aislinn Raftis
Digital Rhetoric
Professor Ben Ristow
The rhetoric of talking about new media
Rhetoric is commonly called the art of persuasion, a definition
that remains with us from the Classical Era. Although Classical rhetoric
and modern rhetoric may look completely different, they actually have
more in common than first appears. Take, for example, the definition of
new media from the website of the new media institute. The authors
of this particular article, Bailey Socha and Barbara Eber-Schmid, rely on
rhetorical techniques to make their points effectively and persuasively.
For instance, they use the three appeals of Classical rhetoric in their
work, namely ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos, a persuasive appeal based on the character of the writers
and the credibility of their sources, is the appeal the most widely used
in the article. They reference Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, and a
print encyclopedia from the French Revolution. On the side of the page,
the purpose and description of the New Media Institute also reflect the
ethos of the writers because the website advertises itself as a
scholarly, research based and fact driven site. They include a footnote,
a reference to yet another trustworthy source and they write in an
academic tone.
Pathos is the emotional appeal and the writers engage it when
they group themselves with the audience through the use of the

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pronoun we. They are trying to form an emotional connection
between themselves and the readers. They also engage the logical
appeal, logos, in the piece through the structure. It begins with a
definition, then analysis, then a discussion of the impacts, followed by
two relevant side notes and ends with a conclusion. It is a logical
structure and allows the writers to make their points and follow the
arguments to a logical end.
As Silva Rhetoricae says, Indeed, a basic premise for rhetoric is
the indivisibility of means from meaning; how one says something
conveys meaning as much as what one says. Rhetoric studies the
effectiveness of language comprehensively and by keeping this quote
in mind, the structure, tone and sources in the article become equally
as important as the argument proposed or the idea advanced. The
writers wanted to convince other readers of the validity of their points
and through rhetorical devices, they succeeded.