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Date of Graduation
Summer 2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
School of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication
Advisor(s)
Traci Zimmerman
Seán McCarthy
S. Scott Lundsford
Abstract
In an attempt to combat ISIS recruitment videos, the United States Department of State (USDS) developed the Think Again, Turn Away social media campaign featuring videos attempting to persuade viewers to resist the message of ISIS. In the article “U.S. government: A war of online video propaganda,” authors William Allendorfer and Susan Herring (2015) analyze the textual rhetoric of the ISIS video series Flames of War in comparison to eight Think Again, Turn Away videos. To add to Allendorfer and Herring’s (2015) textual analysis, this study uses the framework of scholar David Blakesley’s (2004) four elements of film rhetoric (language, ideology, interpretation, and identification) to complete a visual analysis of the ISIS video “No Respite” and the Think Again, Turn Away video, “#WhyTheyLeftDaesh.” From this visual analysis, I argue that ISIS attempts to make their organization seem larger than it is, the USDS lacks a dichotomy in message, and ISIS seems to utilize images relatable to the target audience. Ultimately, this study found that ISIS propaganda tends to have a stronger impact than the USDS. This study is limited because the audience impact and reception cannot be fully measured.
Recommended Citation
McDearis, Kathryn, "ISIS rhetoric: A war of online videos" (2016). Masters Theses, 2010-2019. 465.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/465
Included in
Digital Humanities Commons, Rhetoric Commons, Visual Studies Commons
