Ilan Averkin's Analysis of "Is It Worth It? - Texting While Driving"
Those behind media manipulation are like children that try to tell you a true story, but end up distorting reality via exaggerations and misleading facts. Unlike children who are just young and undeveloped, media personnel have a methodology and purpose behind such actions. The visual Public Service Announcement (PSA) named "Is it Worth It? - Texting While Driving" is not an exception to this. The creator is trying to convey the message that texting and driving is a very dangerous act that can lead to fatal consequences. One media manipulation technique that is used in the PSA to convey said message is fear mongering. The use of fear through graphic images is a powerful method…show more content… In this PSA, fear, one of the most powerful motivators, is used as the target emotion. Fear is a primal instinct that helps us remember bad experiences to later avoid them in the future. Vivid memories are also born in fear and that is a powerful effect that marketers look for. One way that the creator evokes fear in the audience is by using very suspenseful and slow shot changes. This subtle reveal and close up shots is just enough to create a tense and fearful viewing. Another way fear is brought into the audience's mind is through the idea of death. The PSA explicitly shows the death of a teenage girl as a result of texting and driving to create that sense of fear. This occurs because death is a universally terrifying idea and it brings negative emotions to people. Lastly, fear is inflicted through the use of graphic and disturbing images. Throughout the ad the creator strategically places shots of blood, crashed car, mourning family and police to ensure the audience will feel fear at every scene. As a result, it is evident that fear mongering is an effective technique used to convey the message that texting and driving is a very dangerous action that can lead to death, but when combined with an extreme scenario it is even more