Recognizing emotional appeals

The video opens with a person looking at their phone with a cocked eyebrow, appearing skeptical. The narrator states that some media don’t try to persuade you with facts and arguments.

Next, the scene changes to the same person, but now their eyebrows are raised in alarm, suggesting they are reacting to something they see on their phone. The narrator continues by explaining that instead of facts and arguments, some media use words, images, music, and other tools to persuade you emotionally.

The following shot displays the word “Pride” on screen, accompanied by a graphic of a waving flag that is not of any real country and emotionally stirring music plays during the shot. The narrator says that they may try to make you feel pride.

The scene then shifts to a close-up of a person looking up at a sunrise, along with the word “Hope” on screen. The narrator continues the list of emotions, saying “Hope.”

Next, the word “Insecurity” appears on screen, accompanied by an image of a person looking down at an ink spot on their shirt. The narrator adds “Insecurity,” to the list of emotions.

The word “Love” is then displayed, along with a visual of two parents cradling a baby. The narrator includes “Or love.” in the list.

Another shot shows the text “Love your smile.” on screen, presented in a style that looks like PSA poster copy, along with an image of two smiling children. The narrator notes that appeals to emotion are not always bad….

The text “15% Off Orthodontics” then appears on screen below the previous text and image of the two smiling children. The narrator continues the previous thought, stating … but you should be skeptical of why they want you to feel that way.

The scene returns to the person with the ink blot on their shirt (from the “Insecurity” shot). This time, they are holding up a box that has a picture of an ink blot with a circle/slash “No” symbol on it. The narrator explains that some ads make you worried about a problem, then sell you the solution.

The video then transitions to a shot of a convertible sports car driving down a coastal road. The narrator adds that some ads don’t make any kind of claim about the product, and may not seem to be “selling” anything.

The scene cuts to the driver of the sports car, who is looking cool. The narrator explains that instead, they show how cool and confident you’ll be if you buy it.

The next shot shows several people, including the sports car’s driver, having a picnic. The sports car is visible in the background. The narrator states that they connect their product with good feelings.

A visual of a mock Instagram photo of an influencer holding up the “No ink blots” box from earlier is then shown. The narrator explains that they hire people you already have good feelings about, like influencers and celebrities, to use their product – or say they do.

The screen then displays a phone with a social media feed scrolling up. Instead of images, only emojis are visible, including shocked, happy, and angry faces. The narrator explains that algorithms know that we respond to things we feel strongly about, so you may see emotionally triggering posts in your social media feeds without even knowing it.

The word “Anger” appears on screen, accompanied by a return to the image of the person from the first shot, now looking angry. The narrator states that the most dangerous emotional appeals are the ones that make you feel fear or anger.

The scene shifts to a visual of a complicated machine with many different valves, belching smoke and steam. The narrator explains that there’s a whole industry focused on feeding the “outrage machine,”.

The video then shows a newspaper and a phone, both displaying the same angry face. The narrator says that media makers and social networks know that’s a good way to get you to pay attention to news, watch videos, or….

The “outrage machine” from the previous shot is now shown on wheels. There is a sign on it with a green leaf inside a circle-slash symbol. Next to it, a person is handing money to a salesperson. The narrator concludes the sentence, saying buy a product.

A closer shot of the person who was buying the “outrage mobile” shows their eyes narrowed in anger. The scene then pans to show someone holding a sign with the green leaf on it. The narrator explains that these messages can also make us angry at other people.

The scene shows the environmentalist frowning and the first person looking alarmed. The narrator continues, saying – and make us afraid they’re angry at us.

Thought balloons appear over the two people’s heads. In the balloon over the environmentalist’s head, the first person looks like a very aggressive caveman. In the balloon over the first person’s head, the environmentalist looks like a stereotypical hippie. The narrator explains that this makes us think other groups are more different from us than they really are.

The thought balloons then turn into word balloons, and both of the people look angry. The narrator adds that this makes it hard to compromise or even talk about the things we disagree on.

The video returns to the image of the skeptical person from the first shot. The narrator concludes by saying to watch out for media that appeals to your emotions and focus on the facts instead.