Visual Rhetoric-Sterling Paulson

Visual rhetoric is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Social media is one of the main purveyors of this visual rhetoric, but every day people of all ages and demographics are bombarded with different colors, textures, fonts, images, and graphics. Television programs and advertisements, print ads, billboards, posters and many other examples of visual rhetoric can be seen. This can be seen as a beneficial addition to society. With visual rhetoric people can easily get their point across and draw attention to their argument or advertising.  It is much more succinct than a public speech or an opinion editorial, and has a good chance of drawing a larger and more diverse audience. We see this now even in boardrooms for global corporations or in the closing arguments for litigators in trial. In these settings traditionally dominated by oratory, we can now see PowerPoint slides, posters, and graphics being used to more effectively argue points. While this may seem fascinating and great, I still think that it is important to look at all of the effects of this shift. I think that it has some detrimental aspects, as grammar and writing become less influential and therefore less important in many industries. I think that it is important to remember that visual rhetoric is a great thing, but it cannot be our only form of communication that we use.