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Isabela Salazar

Professor Ileia Mooney

ENC1102-20

February 9, 2020

Evaluating anti-drug campaigns within social media through a rhetorical lens

Discourse communities, share common goals, use certain genres, varied modes of

communication, participatory mechanisms, requirements for membership, and a specific lexis

(Johns 321). Therefore, these groups exhibit rhetorical situations as they communicate allowing

for the rhetoric used to be analyzed. Downs defined rhetoric as, “a set of principles that explain

and predict how people make meaning and interact” (460). This emphasizes the diverse use of

rhetorical principles to communicate. Genres generate from varied modes of communicating, as

certain features develop in response to repeated situations. As there are numerous methods to

communicate, genres generate. Although genres tend to be discernable in society, Dirk states that

“[it] goes far beyond a simple discussion of types” (250). Genres They are recurring texts, have

recognizable features, and respond to exigences (Dirk et al. 251). Constraints within the

discourse community indicate appropriate genres to be used. Apparent within the anti-drug

community. as messages are aimed towards targeted audiences to maximize coherence with their

values through socialmass media, much of the images have become less graphic and grotesque

than past advertising. .

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Organizations' aspiration to increase smoking cessation anti addiction and smoking

prevalence has continued throughout decades. In accordance with its name, the digital age, is

depended largely upon technology. The use of social media is highly abundant today and affects

a vast population, in copious unknown ways. Thus, assessing this use by organizations

promoting anti-drug messages and its impact upon the audience based upon the rhetoric used

stood out to me. Understanding the importance of rhetoric within these campaigns is significant

as it can lead to further comprehension of smoking cessation behavior, motivators and/or

inhibitors along with ability to improve effectiveness of propaganda. Existing research regarding

tobacco use and the marketing of products framed within writing and rhetoric is not aligned

withas updated to the advancement of technology and studying its developing effects, as the

more modern studies includes mass media review of television and radio. Depue et al.,

attempting, attempting to evaluate effectiveness by comparing an image to a video commercial

ad and found that “when incorporating streaming video, researchers should consider accessibility

and report possible response bias. Researchers should fully define the measure they use, specify

any viewing accessibility issues, and make ad comparisons only when using comparative

methods” (Depue et al. 301). Brennan et al.Brennan et al. conducted a review on mass media

and its influence on “campaign insanity and different channels; the effects of different message

types” (127). The findings deemed that the campaign werewas valued because of the education,

change in beliefs, setting of goals, and positive effect upon decreasing addiction and smoking

population (Brennan et al.). Other studies included “economic evaluations' ' for media

campaigns rather than results exhibiting population benefits (Atusingwize et al.).

Atusingwizetusinge et al. states that “mass media campaigns are effective… [but] require

substantial investment” thus takes a different approach through conducting a “systematically and
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comprehensively review economic evaluations of .. ... mass media campaigns” (320). The review

concluded that evidence was limited but of “acceptable quality and society suggests that they

offer good value for money” (Atusingwize et al. 320). As the majority tended to be holistic or

reviews of multiple studies, there were some cases of a “micro” case such as Boris et al. with

their “Process Evaluation of an In-school Anti-Tobacco Media Campaign in Louisiana.””.

Results concluded that it was effective for adolescents and should be continued. Overall, the

research found it effective but did not analyze the rhetorical use, especially not in accordance

with recent technological changes. In light ofConsidering this discrepancy, I choose a prevalent

platform to create an improved discussion about anti druganti-drug promotion throughout the

media.

Initially when researching anti-drug organizationscampaigns, I thought of truth,

predominantly within Florida and decided to choose their “modern” connections to their

audience, especially younger populations. Its substantial popularity within the area was also

crucial to my choice to investigate its use in social media for my primary research. Lastly, the

massive substance abuse population in Florida has been pervasive, a rooted issue that remains

relevant, intriguing me to research contemporary methods to decrease drug use.

Currently, my overarching research question is: How do nonprofit organizations promote

anti-drug campaigns in social media? As this question is too general for the limited time and

resources available to me, a more extensive alternative is: How do anti- drug organizations,

specifically Truth, promote smoking cessation and prevention in social media?

Within my primary research I plan to highlight social media use through conducting a

multi-modal analysis of truth, an anti-drug organization, through its instagramInstagram and

Twitter accounts to access propaganda. Davis defines multimodal text analysis as “the process
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that questions how textual, visual auditory and other text elements operate to deliver messages

and meaning”, thus I will observe how the organization selects certain auditory, visual, and

textual features within their posts to communicate their intended message (R-11). As Instagram

and Twitter are diverse due to format, audience, and tone I will be comparing the typified

rhetoric used along with themes and characters/attitudes to convey messages. The other method I

plan to use is a survey to collect primary data illustrating the effect upon the audience/people.

After I have reviewed the chosen artifacts, they will then be referred to formulate the survey

questions. The target audience is approximately 50 University of Central Florida students within

ENC 1102 to evaluate the effectiveness of truth’s messages. The survey will be accessible

through Google Forms, where it is available online and consist of 10 questions (screenshots will

later be included where necessary). As well as rhetorical analysis of the posts in the comments

from the audience to evaluate effectiveness. Other research methods I plan to include are genre

analysis and textual analysis if appropriate. Following the completion of data collection, I will

compare the survey responses to the initial analysis and measure discrepancies. As truth tends to

be a popular campaign, I will also be referred to the engagement features so comments,

followers, and likes (and/or retweets) on each respective post. The methods will emphasize the

use of writing and rhetoric by the campaign to reach its intended message to the audience and

evaluate its effectiveness.

Timeline:

Task Date of Completion

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Discuss selection of artifacts with Ms. Conference Date (Feb. 17/18)

Mooney

Analyze instagramInstagram posts(posts (3-4) February 22

from @truthorange

Submit to Professor Mooney survey link February 28

Analyze the comments for each post February 29

Analyze through rhetorical lens March 7

Analyze through genre analysis March 14

Collect responses for survey Analyze through March 21

textual analysis

Collect all data and find connections, evaluate March 23

data

Survey Questions:
1. Are you familiar with the anti-drug campaign “Truth” within America, especially
Florida?
a. Yes
b. No
c. I have heard of it but don’t know what it is
2. Have you ever visited the truth page on social media?
a. Yes, on one more than a platform
b. Yes, once/one platform
c. No, never
d. No, but I thought about it
3. If you have visited their page, how often?
a. Never
b. Sometimes
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c. Often
d. Daily/ Following
4. Have you, or any friends or relatives struggled with addiction to substance abuse?
a. Yes
b. No
5. Have you yourself of know of someone who has recovered form addiction and has quit
smoking?
a. Yes
b. No
6. Have you yourself or have you ever known someone who referred to a truth ad in a
positive light?
a. Yes
b. No, no one has mentioned it.
c. No, it was a negative commentary
7. Do you believe the following post portrays the message effectively towards the audience?

INSTAGRAM POST
(insert here)

a. Yes
b. No
8. Do you believe the following post portrays the message effectively towards the audience?

TWITTER POST
(insert here) a. Yes
b. No
9. Do you believe the following post portrays the message effectively towards the audience?

INSTAGRAM POST
(insert here)

a. Yes
b. No
10. Do you believe the following post portrays the message effectively towards the audience?

TWITTER POST
(insert here)

a. Yes
b. No
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Works Cited:

Atusingwize, Edwinah, Langley, Tessa, and Lewis, Sarah. “Economic Evaluations of

Tobacco Control Mass Media Campaigns: aA Systematic Review.” Tobacco Control, vol. 24,

no. 4, 2015, pp. 320–327. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24842512.

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Brennan, Emily, Durkin, Sarah ,andSarah, and Wakefield, Melanie. “Mass Media

Campaigns to Promote Smoking Cessation among Adults: anAn Integrative Review.” Tobacco

Control, vol. 21, no. 2, 2012, pp. 127–138. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41516004.

Boris, Neil, Brewer, Dixye, Hong, Traci, Johnson, Carolyn, C. Myers, Leann, and

Webber, Larry S. “Process evaluation of an in-school anti-tobacco media campaign in

Louisiana.” Public Health Reports (1974-), vol. 123, no. 6, 2008, pp. 781–789. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/25682130.

Depue, Jacob, Dreher, Marietta, Greenseid, Lija O., Larsen, Lindasy S., Luxenberg,

Michael G, Momwer, Andrea, and Schillo, Barbara. “A comparison of two methods for assessing

awareness of anti tobaccoanti-tobacco television advertisements.” Tobacco Control, vol. 25, no.

3, 2016, pp. 301–306. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24842652.

Dirk, Kerry, Lowe, Charles, and Zemliansky, Pavel. “Navigating genres”. Writing

Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 1. Parlor Press, 2010.

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Downs, D. and Wardle, Elizabeth.”Rhetoric “Rhetoric: Making Sense of Human

Interaction and MeaningMaking.” Writing About Writing. Bedford Books St. Martins, 2019.

Johns, Ann. “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice.” Writing About

Writing. Bedford Books St. Martins, 2019.

Lunsford, Andrea A. “Researching Writing and Literacy at UCF: Determining primary

research methods” Easy Writer, pp. R-2- R-34. Bedford/St. Martin's. 2018