Journal #6

I chose to further analyze the text I used in class-- the Facebook login page. Immediately after presenting to the class I had realized that I only really scratched the surface in terms of rhetorical analysis. Not only did all my ideas not come out in the embarrassment of presenting, but as I reread my notes, my initial ideas seemed mixed up.


The Facebook login page harnesses society's need to feel connected as well as it's consciousness of money to attract users in their late-teens and adults.

As I type in facebook.com, the first thing I notice is the picture to the left. It depicts a web of people over the entire world being connected by dotted lines. We automatically assume that the dotted lines represent the ability being offered by Facebook to connect with people, without the restriction of distance. 
Another thing I notice about the picture is that the individuals on the map are silhouettes, prompting us to believe that 'it could be us'. Even further, I notice that the silhouettes that appear to be male have "sensible hair"-- very unlike spiked or mohawk hair for example. And the ones that appear to be female have plain, short hair, not pigtails or 'flippy' hair. This leads us to believe that these people are of an older age group (probably not 'tweens'). 


Above the picture, it says "Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life."
In class, I had brought up the the point that the quote's contents yanks a heart-string in that "the people in your life" are usually personally important to individuals. But, another thing I noticed about this statement  is that it says "helps you"-- present tense! Although you may not have a Facebook yet, this statement assumes you do, which is in a way pressure. It is not necessarily the usual negative pressure, its more of a personal pressure for example (this is for the girls) in middle school when you saw the popular girls with big bows in their hair, you may have thought, "maybe I should get a big bow for my hair since they do...".
Another example of this personal pressure theory is on the mobile login page (below). It asks "Need a Facebook account?" Rather than asking in a more subtle way like "Want a Facebook account?" Again the vocabulary assumes the importance of having a Facebook and prompts you to ask yourself this question.

Going back to the computer version of the login page, another standout statement is "It's free, and always will be." In this economy, money is definitely a touchy subject-- especially to broke college students and people with families (who are Facebook's targets again??). Money is close to many people's hearts, whether they have it to spare or are trying to scrape it up. 


Facebook uses emotional appeal in many areas including personal, social, and economic situations to attract users in their target audience.