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Persuasion is the process by which attitudes are changed (Brehm et al, 2002)^. Advertisement is an entire industry based on companies manipulating consumers into wanting to buy their products and services. Advertisers use all types of media to try to sell their product or service: television, magazines, newspapers, billboards, and now the internet - you can see the ad banner under my title, which could be from one of thousands of possible companies that have paid angelfire to advertise their product or service on my website and websites of other amateur and professional web designers.
Advertisers, however, are not the only people who use persuasion. Politicians try to convince people to vote for them, or to hold certain values or act in certain ways. Hitler* is an extreme example of one of these politicians.
Besides advertisers and politicians, people use persuasion in everyday life. You have probably tried to persuade your mother to let you go to a dance, or your friend to babysit for you when you wanted to go out on a date, or yourself to study for that big exam.
My objective in this website is to give explain some of the techniques people use when trying to convince someone to act a certain way or to have a certain belief. There are two routes to persuasion - the central route and the peripheral route, which are both explained on this site. I would also like to share specific examples and images that show persuasion in action. I hope you enjoy the site! |