Blake's Unit 1 Project

Popular Science Rhetorical Analysis

According to the eBiz: The eBusiness website, the Popular Science blog is ranked number 10 in the “Top 15 Most Popular Science Websites.” This data, from September 2015, states that Popular Science gets an estimated 2.8 million visitors to the site each month. That is equivalent to the entire population of Nevada. So clearly, Popular Science knows how to draw readers in and keep them visiting the blog. The question: how does Popular Science continue to grow and receive monthly numbers of 2.8 million visitors? The answer lies in their use of rhetorical devices. In the making of the Popular Science blog, the authors wanted to create a blog that reaches out to all those interested in the scientific advancements being made in the world by establishing a site that appeals to the readers through clarity, the choice of diction, variety, pathos, and the image selections.

Clarity is an important aspect in a blog, or any piece of literature. If the work remains unclear, then the wrong message may be sent, or the reader may not be able to follow the argument of the author. Clarity can sometimes correlate to the choice of diction; however, this is not always the case. In some instances, like with the Popular Science blog, the authors write in a clear, informative tone. This will avoid possible confusion the reader may come across. The authors write each blog knowing the different ages and types of readers the site will attract. Therefore, they know each blog must be written so they can come across clearly to each and every member of their audience. The authors would “dumb things down” so to say. Whenever they realized something may not make sense, they would explain whatever may not have been very clear. For example, in one article about Alzheimer’s disease, the blog mentioned a type of protein called a prion. Had this been some other kind of science article, one maybe geared towards actual scientists, they might have had no need to explain. However, since the authors of Popular Science know that many different people read their articles, they explain more in detail what a prion is and what it does, likewise with anything that may seem too complicated.

Photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Word choice can go along with clarity and it plays a vital role in blogs. Particular to Popular Science, the choice of diction plays a large role in the titles of each blog and the words used throughout each post. As mentioned before, the words are sometimes utilized for clarity; however, they can also impress the audience. One of the posts of Popular Science is titled “Apple’s 3D touch will change how you use the iPhone.” This is a pretty bold statement, and all iPhone users would be intrigued by such a title. In my opinion, the most common and most effective title used in the blog would be a question. Questions like “What’s new with the Apple Watch?” or “Can you catch Alzheimer’s?” really draw the reader to the article. The authors’ choice to use questions as headings is genius due to the amount of people who would want to see the answer located in the post. Along with the headlines, the verb choice used by the authors is very dynamic. They keep the reader hooked using a colorful vocabulary and strong verbs. Audiences are more intrigued to a blog if the posts are vibrant and enticing rather than dull and boring. A solid use of verbs can make or break the blog as a whole. Choosing the right words to include in one’s post can drastically increase or decrease the amount of visitors to the blog.

Some blogs like The Huffington Post and The Guardian include a large variety of subjects, that it can be overwhelming to some. Both have posts about almost any current news going on in the world. News about sports, science, technology, national news, international news, weather, and more. Popular Science focuses on science, obviously, but there are many subsections that can fit under that category. Popular Science includes technology, biology, chemistry, psychology, space, and others. Keeping a variety of sciences, and not just focusing on one, attract so many more visitors to the site. The up-to-date aspect of the blog also helps. Since there are a few subjects, and multiple blogs a day, means there is a good possibility of seeing more than one article per subject. For instance, if someone was really interested in the news behind Apple, Popular Science updates regularly on Apple news, and the reader would be able to get news from the blog. Due to the variety of sciences the blog contains, more readers migrate to this site resulting in the many views it receives.

Pathos is defined as appealing to an audience’s emotions. While not necessarily excessive in Popular Science, the authors do appeal to their audience’s emotions in some cases. One such case would be the post mentioned before, “Can you catch Alzheimer’s?” A title that clearly appeals to the reader’s emotions, as it may strike fear into the reader. This will draw the reader in, because they want to know if the question is true or not. In almost every Apple related post I read, I felt like everything the author stated wanted me to be amazed with all the new things Apple comes out with, which made me feel like the blog is very pro Apple. The authors want their readers to feel the same way; therefore, they will do everything they can to boost the readers’ liking towards Apple. They successfully do this by talking positively about Apple, mentioning all of the good things and almost none of the bad. Although not entirely fair, it completes the job of fascinating the reader, the more and more the reader continues throughout the post.

Photo by inefekt69

“I won’t believe it until I see it” is a very common phrase in almost everyone’s vocabulary. This is especially common when scientific discoveries or new technological advances are made. Many people base what they know off of actual images or videos. The authors of Popular Science definitely put that into consideration with every post they add. The images related to space are especially astonishing. In my opinion, the fact we have pictures of the unknown is captivating. Pictures of space amaze me, and I am sure there are others with similar feelings towards not only space, but maybe plants, or new technology, or anything of the sort. Popular Science elegantly fills their entire website with pictures to attract any kind of interest. Even the layout of the blog is attractive. It is neatly ordered with the newest blog post at the top, with the rest falling into place behind it. The website is very easy to navigate, and one can find what they are looking for with simplicity.

Overall, Popular Science is a very impressive blog. Its clarity, diction, variety, pathos, and images make a great combination for the website. The authors successfully draw the audience in and attract more and more as time progresses. This could be due to its presence on social media, and the ability to share its posts and different blogs. Nonetheless the number of visitors to Popular Science will continue to grow as long as the authors of the blog proceed to use each of the rhetorical devices, and implements new devices as it progresses.