Mass media and mass persuasion HC week 1 (3 feb)
Teacher: Paul Williams. , 0631 080406.
Assignment and exam
Exam (50%, multiple choice), course assignment (50%) in teams (4-6 students). Wednesday 30th
march 17.00 in Ephorus + pigeonhole.
Persuasion
Persuasion is the study of attitudes and how to change them. About anything that involves molding
or shaping attitudes involves persuasion.
Contemporary persuasion differs from the past in the following five ways:
1. The sheer number of Persuasive Communications has grown exponentially
2. Persuasive messages travel faster than ever before
3. Persuasion had become institutionalized
4. Persuasive communication has become more subtle and devious
5. Persuasive communication is more complex and impersonal
Foundations of persuasion
According to R. Perloff 2010 Persuasion is: “A symbolic process in which communicators try to
convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the
transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice”.
This Symbolic Process include:
- This process includes: Teacher (I.e. the persuader).
- The use of symbols (i.e. language, colors, images, tunes, logos e.g. Starbucks logo, Colors of
Benetton).
- Symbols are persuaders’ tools, harnessed to change attitudes and mold opinions.
- Persuasion involves an attempt to influence.
- Persuaders must intend to change another individual’s attitude or behavior and must be
aware (at least at some level) that they are trying to accomplish this goal
- People actually persuade themselves, marketers activate their desires and artificial needs.
- Through what methods are we persuaded? Advertisements, news broadcast, art, movies,
music, books, plays…
Teacher: Paul Williams. , 0631 080406.
Assignment and exam
Exam (50%, multiple choice), course assignment (50%) in teams (4-6 students). Wednesday 30th
march 17.00 in Ephorus + pigeonhole.
Persuasion
Persuasion is the study of attitudes and how to change them. About anything that involves molding
or shaping attitudes involves persuasion.
Contemporary persuasion differs from the past in the following five ways:
1. The sheer number of Persuasive Communications has grown exponentially
2. Persuasive messages travel faster than ever before
3. Persuasion had become institutionalized
4. Persuasive communication has become more subtle and devious
5. Persuasive communication is more complex and impersonal
Foundations of persuasion
According to R. Perloff 2010 Persuasion is: “A symbolic process in which communicators try to
convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the
transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice”.
This Symbolic Process include:
- This process includes: Teacher (I.e. the persuader).
- The use of symbols (i.e. language, colors, images, tunes, logos e.g. Starbucks logo, Colors of
Benetton).
- Symbols are persuaders’ tools, harnessed to change attitudes and mold opinions.
- Persuasion involves an attempt to influence.
- Persuaders must intend to change another individual’s attitude or behavior and must be
aware (at least at some level) that they are trying to accomplish this goal
- People actually persuade themselves, marketers activate their desires and artificial needs.
- Through what methods are we persuaded? Advertisements, news broadcast, art, movies,
music, books, plays…
