Blog Post #7: Online Safety: Analyzing Visual Rhetoric

The piece of visual rhetoric that I chose to analyze was found on a blog at pc1news.com. This public service announcement pertains to parents whose children talk to strangers online and it was made to make parents more aware about their children's Internet activities. This ad was originally created for the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. The ad is all black and white and it shows a girl on a laptop and a man with the word "predator" underlined in red on him. The ad is in black and white to emphasize the red, underlined word "predator". This draws your attention to the word "predator" and enhances the importance of the message of the ad. The black and white color of this ad also brings out the serious tone and the inexpressive face of the man appeals to pathos because it is actually somewhat scary because he seems like a prisoner having his mug shot taken. The ad also has the phrase, "You should see who your daughter met online last night". The images of the man and the young girl help explain the verbal content because there is a clear meaning in the message of the verbal content. This ad adequately grabs your attention and conveys the message that parents need to be more aware of their children's online activities.