Persuasive Messages

Persuasive messages are not something that is new to today's society. For as long as persuasion has been advertised, we have been engulfed by various forms of persuasive stimuli. One slight change in this phenomena is that today we are absolutely flooded with these messages. In fact, we are so flooded with them that we don't even realize how many we come across on a daily basis. According to a study by Rosseli, Skelly, & Mackie in 1995, the average person is exposed to 300-400 persuasive messages per day from the media ALONE. When you add 21 years to the date (2016) and adjust the statistic, it is quite unfathomable.

While I do not know the adjusted number for the statistic, I set out to try to pay attention to every persuasive message that I came across in a school day on my small 1,000 student campus.

The first significant persuasive message of sorts that I came across took me back to my elementary days. As I walked into my first class of the day, I noticed the desk/table layout of the classroom wasn't your typical WLC rows of tables. Instead, the tables were pushed together into pods or communes. Instantly, I felt anxious and uncomfortable as I did not know anyone in the class and would have rather set up shop in the back row and lay low. Nope, the only spot left was in the front of the classroom in a pod with 3 strangers. Sitting face-to-face, I was forced to make eye contact which led to conversation (because of the pod layout).... If you know me, you know that I am quite shy, until I get to know someone. It's funny how times change. Back in elementary school, when you set up your desks in pods, you are the happiest kids in the schoo because you get to have more open communications! As a shy introvert in college, it's not so much the same elated feeling. This lengthy flashback is brought to you courtesy of pod layout classrooms. This is just one example of how an object can persuade and provoke a message and lead to specific actions.

As I walked through campus after class, trying not to slip on the ice, I was quite shocked as to how many more persuasive messages I came across in that short period of time. Exit signs, bathroom signs, bulletin boards full of flyers, elevator walls with campus clubs advertising events, "Caution Wet Floor" signs, "Do Not Touch. Wet Paint" signs..... If you wanted to, you absolutely could NOT get away from these messages if you tried.

This being said, why is this important, Trey? The fact of the matter is that persuasive messages are absolutely everywhere. I would say that the earth is littered with persuasive messages at least 5x more than true garbage litter. Some messages are quite obvious and more in your face than others, while some are perceived so subtly, that we don't realize that we have just pertained the message. I only talked about the more subtle messages that I experienced on my walk across campus. Had I driven down Bluemound Rd, I would see street signs, billboard advertisements, businesses advertising their deals on getting your taxes done through them, and so much more. To me, anything that triggers a command, perception, or provokes thoughts/actions can be defined as a persuasive stimulus. After all, that is truly the base purpose of messages such as ads. Their messages are intended to provoke thought and eventually choose their product or service.

I encourage you to do the same as me and keep an eye out for various persuasive messages you come across in your everyday life. With this, try to understand the message that each stimulus is trying to provoke. You will be very intrigued.

#Persuasive #Communication #Messages #Stimuli