dia 8 visuality and political communication

political image

refers to Carefully constructed mix of all the attributes a candidate wants to convey to the voters into easily recalled visual and verbal symbols

Roots USA

patriotism

images symbolise attractive personal traits

The identity of the candidate and the nation are merged: brave conquering heroes, military leaders

Patriotic identity for the entire nation

political image making

goal: to reflect corporate political values embodying exalted American values that enhances their status legitimises their claim to wield power and justifies their policy preferences

Centre stage: party preferences have declined so the electorate has to come to rely more heavily on candidate imagery-Great variety of persuasive visual symbols

Image is everything

political image making nowadays

Advances in communication technology

Impact of social media platforms

historic roots: first ever televised US presidential debate Nixon Kennedy 1960

kennedy nixon 1960

in Radio-Higher sympathy for Nixon

In television-higher sympathy for Kennedy

Nixon appeared sweaty, pale and uncomfortable vs. Kennedy looked calm stand and confident

Marked a turning point in political communication visual performance became as important as verbal rhetoric

telepolitical age smith and nimmo

The persuasive influence of television and its ability to construct images with symbols in politics

Major parties conventions are televised and it has expanded the size of the audiences

New rhetorical genre: convention films

political Convention films

1. Eisenhower and Stevenson Both candidates effort still relied on words rather than visual cues

   Convention films have replaced speeches as introductions

common patterns

presenting archetypical images of candidates as the ideal American

Portraying candidates as individuals with effective leadership skills

Introducing candidates vision for the future emphasising patriotic myths

Identifying a problem that must be overcome

bush convention film

Bush narrates much of this optimistic film himself, Urging music and emotional visual cues, Patronism American heroes and icons

Bush drives, he turns to speak to the audience creating the feeling that the viewers are a part of the scene

Extreme close-ups of bush speaking to attract and hold the viewers attention

He doesn’t capitalise on his role as governor of Texas- through out the film he is just George

The film aims to distance bush from stereotypical masculine institutions and activities

“The sky is the limit” is the metaphor for his image and is about to become a metaphor for America’s future

Powerful scene: footage of gushing oil Wells- wealth in the future

He’s also seems vulnerable stumbles over his words

Obama 2008

Political branding through visual identity

Barack Obama’s Hope poster: Colour symbolism, patriotic palette, iconic framing minimalism easy to reproduce and circulate-Created unified visual identity generated emotional resonance

political memes and digital remix culture

remix Culture: refers to the ability of individuals to rearrange repurpose elements from the larger mass media to create new media text

Why did I go viral? Relatable humorous unscripted and easy to Photoshop into various cultural scenarios

Kamala Harris brat summer meme unintentional meme notifications boosted her reliability among younger audiences

official imagery and photographic framing

obama: Candid warm, intimate empathetic, thoughtful leader, showing quiet leadership

Trump: staged dramatic, Yusuf theatrical lighting, dominant

Shows how different administrations visually frame leadership

deepfakes and visual disinformation

Visual cues: Facial movements on natural voice tone yet believable enough to require public disinformation

zelenszkij

Deep fakes can manipulate political reality and disrupt trust raises urgent questions about media verification and visual literacy

Conclusion

visuals shape perception

Television changed the game

Convention firms provide candidates with the opportunity to construct or reconstruct their image

branding is visual too

Memes democratize political discourse

official photography does a story

disinformation is visual too

Success often depends on evoking a favourable reaction from a cynical electorate, suspicious of politicians motives