Mandatory Blog Post #19 - OBAMA IS AN ISRAELI TERRORIST FROM KENYA!!!11!!!!!

Did the title get your attention? If it did, than why? Was it that everything was in caps? The actual title itself? The way it ended with exclamation points and numbers? For most people, it was the combination of all three.

It's a simple manipulation of the audience through rhetoric. The caps give it a sense of urgency, the message is wild and outlandish, and the punctuation gives it a sense of excitement. This presentation is not acceptable if you want to be taken seriously, but it will get attention, and sometimes, that is all you need.

This is a tactic that has gained popularity recently, due part to Internet. The example I will use is the titles of YouTube videos. I'm sure you are all aware of those videos by various Vbloggers and Let's players where the titles are as extravagant as mine and the thumbnails have hardly anything to do with the content.  Like this video by Shane Dawson. (I don't recommend you watch it, but you can if you want. I was just giving evidence.)

Personally, when I see a title like "13 and PREGNANT?!" I know that it is going to be a complete waste of my time. The same goes for the thumbnail of the video. But in reality, part of the reason why these YouTubers get so many views, is exactly what I have shown you. Their content may please a particular audience, but first they build that audience by using rhetoric.

My particular title is not too outlandish as we have actually seen people believe such statements. I'm actually curious if I will receive readers outside of my class because of the title. I also wonder if I'll get more views from the class because of it. It would again show that titles can be manipulative.

If you want to be taken seriously, don't do what you have seen here. Make a creative and accurate title. If there are any images, use ones that re relevant. Also, make sure that your content matches the title.