Introduction

Many different political and societal trends have dominated our culture over the past few

years. Two that have not gone unnoticed and are still strong today are social media and

Democratic Socialism. Politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have

gained serious momentum with their Democratic Socialist proposals, and of course, social media

drives the way we communicate and live with each other. Unsurprisingly, both Democratic

Socialism and social media relate well together. The U.S. Democratic Socialist Facebook page

highlights this relation. This online community specializes in spreading Democratic Socialist

ideas and opinions, along with other topics as well. At the time of this writing, the U.S.

Democratic Socialists Facebook Page has more than 1 million followers. Given this immense

number of members, what styles of rhetoric and writing does this community employ to reach

and communicate with its members? By researching posts, comment sections, and team

members, along with already existing secondary sources, I should be able to come to an answer

to this question.

After reviewing different secondary sources, I found information on the rhetorical style

of Democratic Socialists, and information on how social media plays a role in groups and

individuals. Rhetoric is an important tool used by many communities. The rhetorical style of the

Democratic Socialists of the past is similar if not the same to the rhetoric of the U.S. Democratic

Socialists Facebook page. Calls and demand for action, and an attitude of resistance (Guentzel,

2012, p. 712-713) are examples. Social media posts influence numerous aspects of our

personalities. Facebook posts influence our behavior and mood. What we see and read on

Facebook can affect the way we feel about a certain thing or in general. Also, people may imitate

the moods of other to facilitate social interaction (Villota & Yoo, 2018). This phenomenon is
true for the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook Page. One study found that people tend to

interact with one single Facebook group or page. Facebook users choose to associate with one

chosen community (Senaweera et al, 2018). This finding supports data about the U.S.

Democratic Socialists Facebook page that I will address later in the essay. More people picking

one group to interact with produces similar writing. Rhetoric is very important and should not go

unnoticed. Through rhetoric, members, not just people in positions of authority, can make a

change in their organization (Sharp, 2019, Abstract). The community I have chosen has many

examples of this statement. The analysis of my secondary sources made clear to me that social

media, Democratic Socialism, and rhetoric/literacy go hand in hand with each other regarding

the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page. For even more detailed and concise information

on my chosen online community, I will look into multiple collected primary sources to view their

rhetoric and writing. The U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook Page provides a variety of posts

where members can interact with one another. And with the addition of secondary sources, I can

learn the reasons why and how the community interacts, therefore making it understandable.

Through researching multiple posts, comments, team members, and interactions, it can be

inferred that the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page uses humorous, dramatic, and

personal rhetoric and writing to reach and interact with their community members/followers.

Methods
To adequately review the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook Page, I have to go

through the correct primary and secondary sources. I will be looking into numerous posts that

mention the economy, social issues, and the election. I’m selecting the ones that provide the most

reaction and representation of the community. For each of these posts, I will dive into the
comments to see if there are any interactions that may express the rhetorical situation of the

community. I will showcase some comments. Because they are a community centered around

Democratic Socialism, I will prioritize posts that talk about economic and governmental policies.

However, I will not neglect posts that address social issues. When analyzing each post, I will

carefully keep an eye out for any recurring rhetorical styles. I will look for any rhetorical/writing

patterns in the posts and analyze the style and strategy of the literacy. After reviewing these

primary sources, I will relate them back to my secondary sources and see how they compare. Not

only will I look into posts, I will also look into team members/manager. Rio Tazewell manages

the page, so I will research a few of his public posts. By doing this, I will learn his rhetorical

style of writing, which can then be applied to the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page. I

will not spend too much work on him, so he doesn’t distract from the community as a whole. A

shortcoming I stumbled upon in my research was in finding the primary research. The Facebook

page was not very well organized, so I spent a lot of time scrolling through their feed. This may

have hindered my ability to find better primary sources, however, I feel like I did a favorable job

in finding accurate sources. I hope to find out how the community’s rhetoric reaches its

members. For each primary source, I will investigate the rhetorical situation they are presenting.

For example, I will see if they are using humor, drama, or other forms to express their ideas or

address a topic.
 Results

These resources will definitely help me come to a conclusion on the rhetorical situation

and communication within my community.

The first primary source I have is a post of a screenshot of tweet. The post is expressing

the annoyance, disagreement, and frustration the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page

holds regarding American health care. The post argues, “It’s wild to me that I can marry a

random man today and give him health insurance but I can’t provide my sister health insurance

or my grandmother. The American idea of who is family & who do we care for doesn’t make

sense to me. Also, everyone should have universal healthcare.” This post has 6.4 thousand

reactions/likes, 1.1 thousand shares, and 347 comments. This post points out a double standard

within health insurance. This is a good rhetoric style to prove a position. The post then ends off

with a demand for health care for everyone. This line would fall under dramatic rhetoric

Figure 1
 The next source I will showcase is the comment section of the mentioned health

insurance post. In this comment, a community member is sharing a personal health insurance

experience. The comment reads, “When I retired my employer gave 10 years health insurance to

retiring teachers. As an older single Mom I could not insure my dependent child on my insurance

but I could insure a husband for 10 years! I have privately paid for her for the last 9 years… We

need Medicare for All or Universal affordable coverage… We need to find a way to come

together on this issue!” By making the writing and rhetoric personal, it makes the reader relate to

them. Like the post, the commenter also ends off with exclamation style of rhetoric.. This

comment got 24 reactions and 15 replies.

Figure 2.

There are many similar comments like these ones. People sharing their own personal

stories and demanding universal health care. Here are two more examples of this

communication. These two comments are by “top fans.” The one on the left is a member saying

how they want to cover their father’s health insurance. The one on the right is another member

calling for action somewhat triumphantly.

 Figure 3.

The rhetorical situation in this comment section is personal and dramatic. Unique

personal stories force the reader to relate to the commenter, while dramatic calls for action

mobilizes the reader to act. The rhetorical style of demands for change and action harken back

the Democratic Socialist party’s rhetoric of the 1990s. They too demanded action be taken for

certain policies (Guentzel, 2018, p. 712-713).

This next post demonstrates some of the rhetorical humor the community partakes in.

This comedic rhetoric is used to express an opinion or point something out. The post is a screen

shot of a tweet that says, “Donald Trump is a RA_IST.” It then follows up with a list ranging

from sections A to D. Each letter category completes the word with the missing letter(s) above.

This post has 4.8 thousand shares, 1.2 thousand comments, and 11 thousand reactions/like with

2.1 thousand of them being the laughing reaction.

 Figure 4.

This comedic from of communication, writing, and rhetoric is effective in spreading

ideas. The comments shown in the picture portray two members enjoying the post and even

building upon it with similar rhetoric to the post.

The U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page tackles other issues besides the economy.

Just like the previously mentioned post about Trump, this next example is not about the

economy. This post has a picture of migrant detention center with glasses over it. In the glasses,

is a nice colorful pool. The caption at the bottom reads, “GOP VISION ACTIVATED.” This

post has 724 reactions, 265 shares, and 263 comments.

 Figure 5

The comedic rhetorical style is present in this post also. It is mocking the republicans’

stance on immigration and border customs. By branching to many different topics, the

community is more inclusive in their communication with each other. The two comments next to

the post continue to add to the picture with similar writing and purpose.

Rio Tazewell is a manager/team member of the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook

page. He is part of numerous political organizations, even starting one himself. I am going to

highlight just one of his posts that ties to the community. Tazewell’s posts are public, so it is

easy for me to access. In this certain post, Tazewell is using a clever style of writing to point out

a political double standard. It’s written like a riddle. He says, “What’s classy if you’re rich... but

trashy if you’re poor? Taking money from the government.” This post has 43 reactions, 2

comments, and 3 shares.

 Figure 6.

This style of rhetoric, communication, and writing is very similar to that of the U.S.

Democratic Socialists Facebook page. It captures clever comedic rhetoric while being sure in its

assumption. Given that Rio Tazewell manages the Facebook page, it makes sense that the way he

communicates would be similar to my chosen online community.

 Analysis

What styles of rhetoric and writing does the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page

use to communicate with and reach its members? The results and sources I’ve compiled will

bring me to a conclusion to this question. Starting with Figure 1, I am going to analyze the

rhetoric/literacy of the post. The purpose of the writing in this post is to express the double

standard and the incompetence within the American healthcare system. It does this by employing

personal and dramatic rhetoric. It uses a very clever and effective writing strategy— getting

individually personal to a point where the reader can relate. In the post, the writer mentions her

family to show the inability of the healthcare system. She laments that she can’t provide health

insurance for her sister and grandmother. Everyone has relatives and family that they want to

take care of, so when someone reads this, they can relate with the writer and will be more likely

to consider any idea the writer is proposing. The communication/rhetoric in this post is effective

because it allows the community members to make a connection with each other over shared

family interests.

The comment in Figure 2 demonstrates this personal connection. The commenter tells

their own story of poor health care experience. The post gave this member the opportunity to

share their story. Two more comments in Figure 3 show members agreeing with and building

upon the post. These comments are examples of more comments just like them. By participating

in similar rhetoric and writing to the post, the community members were able to communicate

their ideas and beliefs with each other. A study done by Villota and Yoo (2018) found that

people will often copy the moods and/or actions of others to further social interactions with one

another. This characteristic may be happening with the rhetorical situation in the U.S.

Democratic Socialists Facebook page. Different members see a rhetorical style and imitate it to
start a conversation and keep it going. Eventually, other members join the discussion. At the end

of the post in Figure 1, the writer expresses her confusion over the “American idea” of family

and care, and then proposes, “everyone should have universal healthcare” (U.S. Democratic

Socialists, 2019 July 4). This dramatic yet exciting rhetorical situation is very present in this

online community. In Figure 2, the comment on the right takes part in this type of writing. This

rhetoric not only energizes members, but it also keeps them in the community. It shows to them

that their contribution matters when they say something that excites other fellow members.

In a journal article, author Matthew Sharp (2019) argues in his abstract that people in

positions of power are not the only ones that can enact change in an organization; members can

also. While the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page isn’t calling for change within their

online community, the principle that regular members have a level of influence holds true. The

way the users in the community react to the rhetorical situation and communicate with one

another influences what the page posts and how members interact. Ultimately, it affects their

writing. As I mentioned previously, the page itself and community members participate in

humorous, dramatic, and personal rhetoric. As it turns out, it seems pretty effective in reaching

and engaging an audience. When an audience is actively engaged in the writing, it shows that the

aspects of the literacy are of good quality. While the writing of the U.S. Democratic Socialists

Facebook page may be small, it doesn’t fall short in conveying its point of view.

I’ve analyzed personal and dramatic rhetoric, but I haven’t touched the humorous rhetoric

yet. Figure 4 is a good example of this rhetorical style. That post utilizes comedic writing to

criticize President Donald Trump. Not only is it comedic, it is also clever in the way it is written.

The U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook Page harnesses this clever humorous rhetorical

situation to their benefit. Everyone likes comedy, especially one that forwards our ideas. This
rhetoric/writing style is a good strategy to market their beliefs. I don’t agree with the Democratic

Socialists, but even I found myself grinning at these posts. Not only will it keep current

members, it may also bring people who are on the fence into the community and make them

consider their ideas.

I am now going to address the post in Figure 4. This post also captures the comical aspect

of the community’s rhetoric. This writing uses mockery to communicate its point. This form of

literacy allows members to get more than just the serious more upfront posts. With posts that

involve humor or clever writing, it becomes fun to read. This rhetorical style keeps members

engaged in the community. With more exciting and amusing writing, members are more likely to

stay, and outside observers are more likely to join. This post gave members a place to assert their

annoyance and frustration with the GOP, as seen in the comments. These comments are another

example of members given the space to say their opinion and partake in adding to the post.

I wanted to find a top member to research for part of my community and see how they

relate to the whole entire community. So, I found the manager of the U.S. Democratic Socialists

Facebook page. His name is Rio Tazewell, and Figure 6 is a post written by him. To point out

political corruption, Tazewell uses a riddle. The rhetorical situation of this post is clever and

witty. This is similar, if not the same, writing the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page

uses. Since Tazewell is the page’s manager, he heavily influences the means of communication.

Villota and Yoo (2018) argue that Facebook posts can have an impact on peoples’ moods and

behaviors. This contention is true for the communication of my online community. From the

comments I have shown, it’s easy to say that the members’ moods were affected by the posts.

Given this fact, Tazewell has a lot of say in the community. The change of the behaviors and

moods of the members demonstrates that the writing was successful in reaching them.
Many of the posts I’ve highlighted have nothing to do with Democratic Socialism and/or the

economy. In fact, they address a wide variety of topics, from immigration to political corruption.

This diversity of topics ensures that all demographics are noted. For instance, some people may

follow for one certain topic, while some people may follow for another topic. By addressing

many different topics, it makes sure that economic/socialist enthusiasts aren’t the only

demographic joining the community. More than one topic makes the group more inclusive of

other people, opinions, and even communication. The more issues being talked about, the more

communication takes place.

The diversity of topics is not the only way the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page

reaches its members. The diversity of rhetoric/writing is another way it reaches people. By

participating in different forms of writing, the page diversifies the content within the community.

With each different writing style, people can choose which one they like the best and join the

community for that. The community uses personal, dramatic and comedic rhetoric. With

personal rhetoric, members feel more at home in their community. The dramatic rhetoric reaches

members by giving them something to be excited about. Comedic rhetoric reaches people by

amusing them and giving them something to laugh or grin at. These forms of rhetoric are a

pattern throughout the community.

The purpose of these strategies of diversity is to spread their ideas and beliefs to many

different demographics. Another goal seen within the rhetoric of the posts is to engage members

to interact with one another. The posts leave more things to be said, and the members fill those

unsaid things, therefore reaching to them and facilitating more communication between the

members.
 Conclusion

In conclusion, the U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook page applies comedic, dramatic,

and personal rhetoric and writing in order to reach its members. This diversity of literacy and the

exciting rhetoric engages community members to interact with one another. The topics the

Facebook page addresses and the rhetoric they participate in makes the community inclusive of

every demographic. This variety ensures communication among the members takes place and

continues. The posts I showed give examples of this rhetoric/writing and scope of topics. These

aspects give the members the space to express themselves, whether it is opinions, stories, or

ideas. Members also feel a connection to the community the more discussion takes place. Given

that people typically associate more with one single Facebook group, the fact my chosen

community has more than 1 million followers shows that they utilize these rhetoric/writing

strategies well (Senaweera et al, 2018).

Further research that could take place for my community is more in-depth primary

research. Interviews of team members and regular members would better show how the

community views themselves and their literacy. An interview with U.S. Democratic Socialists

Facebook Page manager, Rio Tazewell, would be very useful in further understanding the

literacy of the page. Conducting a survey and/or questionnaire of the members would bring

helpful and more concise data of the community. Another way of research that would add to the

data would be to analyze the Facebook page during the months of the 2020 election. During this

time, the community would be more active and may even advertise events. Given that the 2020

election is more than a year a way and is just starting, I could not do this area of study. A hurdle I

ran into while doing research was the process of finding secondary sources. It turned out to be

more difficult than I thought to find journal articles that related to my chosen online community.
Sifting through the many different articles was a little bit time consuming. Having said that

though, the secondary sources I found and used helped well with understanding the community I

chose.

The research I conducted exposes the ability of a community to use rhetoric to its

advantage. Every community should harness a rhetorical situation to gain new members, and

with social media, growing a community becomes a little bit easier. My examples of the

comment sections display the effectiveness of a community’s rhetorical style. The type of

writing and rhetoric a community uses are very important to the future of that community. From

what I analyzed, exciting and immersive writing/rhetoric that invites the audience to listen to and

participate in builds the community. If this scheme of communication were to be used by each

community, they would benefit greatly. When a community encourages social interaction to take

place, a connection between the members emerges. The U.S. Democratic Socialists Facebook

page used these strategies perfectly.

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