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The Power of Visual Material: Persuasion, Emotion and Identification

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Hélène Joffe
Hélène Joffe*
Affiliation:
University College London
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Abstract

This paper integrates literature from the social sciences and humanities concerning the persuasive impact of visual material, highlighting issues of emotion and identification. Visuals are used not only to illustrate news and feature genres but also in advertising and campaigns that attempt to persuade their target audiences to change attitudes and behaviours. These include health, safety and charity campaigns, that attempt to socially engineer change in people's beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. With the increasing presence of such visuals comes a more emotive media environment with which people are forced to engage, and, under certain circumstances, disengage.

Type
Articles
Information
Diogenes , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , February 2008 , pp. 84 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © ICPHS 2008

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