Online Arguments

I am sure by now, especially after the "Barbenheimer" trend, that a majority of us have seen the new Barbie movie.

The Barbie movie sparked all sorts of feedback as it had some underlying messages that seemed to influence and inspire some while upsetting others.

I chose this online argument because I too have seen the barbie movie and have heard all about the opinions of the movie. I also thought of it as sort of a light-hearted argument to reflect on.

Three Negative Examples or Concerns I Have for This Online Argument:

• All of the users involved in this argument are merely stating opinions without anything to back them up.
• The users are letting their emotions take control of what they are seeing, and they are spitting them straight out into the world without any other thought.
• The users complaining about the movie are likely the ones who didn't actually receive the message the movie was trying to get across.

5 Rules for How People Should Argue Online Correctly:

1. Don't argue just to argue.
2. Make sure you understand what you are talking about before you talk about it.
3. Have evidence to back up your claims in an argument.
4. Think about other people and how they receive the topic, consider how others will view the discussion and your behavior.
5. Just because you let your emotions get the best of you does not mean something is not true.

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Toulmin Method

        The Toulmin method is robust for analyzing arguments and constructing persuasive messages. In the age of online communication, how does the Toulmin method provide a structured approach to evaluate and respond to arguments encountered on the internet?

        The Toulmin Method provides a structured approach to evaluate and respond to arguments encountered on the internet because it provides a basic outline of characteristics of a well-written evaluation or response. The pieces to this method, or outline, are as follows:

Claim: the position or perspective that is being argued for; conclusion of the argument

Data: or grounds, the basis of persuasion made up of data, evidence and facts that help to support the claim

Warrant: what connects the claim to the grounds (data), how is the dated presented in support of the claim, indicates relevance of the claim

Backing: Support or explanation provided for the warrant, an optional part to the Toulmin Model as it only offers additional support

Qualifier: indicates strength of leap from data to the warrant which may limit the universal application of the claim, statement that indicates strength of the claim

Rebuttal: An exception to the claim, acknowledgment of opposing views

Application to Online Discussions, Debates, or Social Media Interactions

        Any online discussion, debate, or social media interaction likely requires a response in some way or another. The Toulmin Method could very well be applied through these online interactions because it could be used to structure online responses.

        One example of online arguments where the Toulmin Method could strengthen one's position or challenge opposing viewpoints would be in an online debate. In a debate there are often beginning and counterarguments. Counterarguments could be strengthened using the Toulmin Method as it would provide the speaker with an excellent outline as to how to map out the counterargument and what information to present.

        The potential limitations or challenges of applying the Toulmin Method would be information overload or bias likely the effect of emotional influence. When using the Toulmin method online, users can be vulnerable to an influence of emotions. Though, users would probably be just as likely to fall from an influence of emotions even offline. Users may also be subjected to information overload as the Toulmin Method requires a lot of information to be received and outputted. Individuals can navigate these challenges by focusing on the use of factual information and note-taking. Of course, there are various other techniques users could try!

Critical Thinking Skills and Information Literacy

Using the Toulmin Method, critical thinking skills and information literacy play very important roles when utilizing the method effectively in the digital age. Critical thinking skills are used to plan what would make your argument strong in terms of what research you must do and what argumentative/rhetoric strategies could you impose. Information literacy is very important as you would have a difficult time if you don't understand how to effectively research the topic of discussion or sift through the information itself.

Best,

Maddie

Works Cited:

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Researching Podcasts

 

        Personally, I listen to podcasts relatively often. I usually listen to podcasts the same way I listen to music, through Spotify. Whilst researching podcasts for this week's discussion, I stumbled upon Quick Thinks: How to Shine Online and Excel at Virtual Communication. In the podcast, the host, Matt Abrahams, a teacher of strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business, talks about ways in which we can improve success in our personal and professional lives when communicating online.

Engagement

    

    In his podcast, Abraham goes on to tell his audience that it is all about maintaining engagement. To keep your audience interested, he relays, it is recommended to change activities every 15 minutes for example. He also highlights the importance of breaks, shorter meetings, and visual appeals especially as educators (Abraham, 2021). The audience will be less likely to stray from the conversation or topic being discussed if it is discussed in shorter increments. It is easier to stay interested and engages for ten minutes than it is to hear about the same boring topic for an hour and a half.

Presence

    Abraham mentions that presence is also critical when communicating online, through words and nonverbal behaviors. Here he highlights some quick tips from Carol Robins, Professors Christian Wheeler and Jennifer Aaker, and lecturer Naomi Bagdonas. He quotes that we have a lot of contact but not a lot of connection and goes on to relay that laughing with someone, even if it is over zoom, can be vital to the trust between all sides of the conversation (Abraham, 2021).

    Similar to Abraham, in our textbook, the author states that changes in facial expressions or gestures, for example, can influence an audience's response (Green, 2023, p. 226).

    Both of these sources emphasis the importance of expression in developing trust and other responses through virtual communication.

Perception and Getting Messages Across

    Abraham states that technology can make or break how we are perceived and how our messages come across. He shares some of his own tips for when you use virtual communication tools. First, he states "how you show up really matters" where he explains that lighting and overall appearance through the screen is important to conveying your presence, engagement, and perception. A few specific things he mentions are as follows:

• fill up the screen
• pay attention to your placement in the screen area
• pay attention to your lighting, would the person on the other side of the screen be able to read your expressions?
• keep your camera at eye level.
• actually, look at the camera.
• have variation in your voice, i.e., voice inflictions or emotive words.
• make gestures, but make sure they can see them and not blocking your face.
• leverage paraphrasing

(Abraham, 2021).

    Comparing this to information regarding virtual communication in our textbook, the author states that you should make sure your camera is at eye level and that you actually look into your camera as it stimulates eye-contact with the audience (Green, 2023, p. 253).

Both sources mention eye-contact and more specifically keeping the camera at eye level and looking at the camera as ways to connect with the audience. This ensures that you are connected and engaged. Maintaining eye-contact shows the speaker that you are listening and their messaged is coming across.

Thanks!

Maddie

    

Works Cited:

Abrahams, Matt. (Host). (2021, April). Quick Thinks: How to Shine Online and Excel at Virtual Communication. In Think Fast Talk Smart. Spotify. Quick Thinks: How to Shine Online and Excel at Virtual Communication • Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques (spotify.com) 

Green, J. (2023). Communicating Online. McGraw-Hill Education.

Link to Spotify Think Fast Talk Smart

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The Battle for Public Opinion

 

Hello again!

As social media platforms have emerged and keep growing, they have become battlegrounds for individuals, organizations, and even governments for public opinion. Considering the rapid dissemination of information and the ability for anybody to speak out and voice their own points of view, this online landscape has transformed the dynamic of public opinion formation and communication strategies in many ways. This landscape has shifted the dynamic of public opinion formation and communication strategies by making people feel more comfortable sharing their opinions on the internet and making it easier to communicate them too. I feel that people were less likely to share their public opinion before and with the current online landscape, it makes it easier for people to do so and therefore more frequent because we hold little to no accountability. I also feel as though with the online landscape today it makes it more likely for the people behind the screens to be influenced by big companies or people with credibility.

The key factors contributing to the online battle for public opinion are popularity (what goes viral), algorithms (what your feed shows you), and influencers. There are potential implications, though, regarding society, democracy, and interpersonal relationships. The negative implications include but are not limited to misinformation and polarizing of information. On a more positive note, in terms of society, this also leaves room for the mobilization of social movements. 

Examples of successful and controversial online campaigns that have significantly impacted public opinion are as follows:

Successful online campaign: Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaign.

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  Underlying communication tactics: With the aim of getting consumers to buy apple products, Apple used tactics emphasizing and showing the capabilities of their products from a 'picture perfect' point of view. Using the "power of the camera" to influence buyers.

Controversial online campaign: Protein World's "Are You Beach-body Ready" campaign.

• Underlying communication tactics: 400 complaints about this campaign promoting weight loss and receiving back-lash for implied body shaming. 

There are some ethical considerations individuals and organizations should take when partaking in the battle for public opinion online. Taking responsibility, maintaining authenticity and transparency between individual/company and users is crucial for when participating in the battle for public opinion. Ensuring truth behind facts before sharing before sharing it will help avoid people misinterpreting or being misinformed.

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