Rhetorical Fallacies Occurring in the Media Term Paper (Term Paper Sample)

Rhetorical Fallacies Occurring in the Media
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Rhetorical Fallacies Occurring in the Media
Introduction
Rhetorical fallacies are elements of arguments that inhibit the open exchange of ideas which form the basis for meaningful conversations. They divert the reader with a number of appeals instead of a rational reasoning. Most of the times, the social media does not pay enough attention to what is shared and the way it is shared (The University of Iowa, 2019). Often, there is little room for a detailed argumentation stemming from the fact that posts on Facebook and Twitter are brief. As a result, it acts as an impediment to a sound reasoning catalyzed by the absence of supporting evidence and simplistic arguments (Gabbert, 2019). In such a way, information lacks the requisite intellectual honesty required to provide logical, prudent, and sound ideas. As numerous rhetorical fallacies occur in the media, informative arguments have become general and irrational; so, identification of these fallacies is helpful in confident validation and parsing of ideas in daily media exchanges.
Rhetorical Fallacies
Ad Hominem
The first rhetorical fallacy occurring in the media is anonymity. Primarily, most people hide their identities in the social media for self-protection and because their lives are at stake (Budhathoki, 2016). However, there are other types of individuals who prefer being anonymous as they are bullies and trolls (The University of Iowa, 2019). Particularly, exposing one to personal attacks for no apparent reason is a habit. This fallacy is referred to as the ad hominem, which is expressed in scenarios where a person dismisses an argument (The University of Iowa, 2019). A reaction is normally directed to the person making it rather than the position being maintained on the statement. Often, on Facebook and Twitter, individuals cannot express their opinions and views in more than 100 words before being exposed to a myriad of personal attacks. Surprisingly, most of these offenses have nothing to do with the credibility of an idea, but rather, concern the individual putting his or her argument forward (Barrow, 2016). Social media is no longer a place where people can show their intelligence as it has become a haven and hotbed of trolls, bullies, and harassers with a fallacious way of arguing. Thus, social media users are to filter not only the information they read but also the individuals that they communicate with online.