Before behavior: examining language and emotion in mobilization messages
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to understand the language and emotional appeals that
constitute voter mobilization messages, often called get-out-the-vote or GOTV. Much
scholarly attention has been given to voter mobilization efforts due to their prominence
on the political landscape. These studies focus on the ultimate effect of mobilization:
behavior. Yet, because mobilization messages are intended as persuasive rhetorical acts,
their language deserves just as much attention as any behavioral outcome.
What the present study sought to add to the mobilization research literature was
an understanding of the linguistic choices made during mobilization drives. It examined
mobilization messages sent out from distinct GOTV campaigns to seven different
demographic groups over the course of two years. Analysis of these messages helped
reveal several unexpected linguistic patterns. First, mobilization groups did not adapt
their messages to the tastes of specific audience groups. Instead, mobilization
characteristics emerged which included a balanced emotional tone, a focus on social
needs, choice of metaphor as a primary language strategy, and certainty when depicting
social and political issues. Further investigation revealed that mobilizers both selected
and structured in the same manner four distinct emotional appeal types regardless the
audience being addressed. Most surprisingly were the results that showed that
mobilization messages contained very few requests for action from the audience. The
GOTV efforts that fell outside the bounds of some of the above linguistic and emotional
appeals were campaigns targeted toward youth. While youth-oriented campaigns shared
the aims of other mobilization groups, the construction of their messages appeared to be
shaped by the nature of the relationship between the mobilizer and the audience in a
manner distinct from other mobilization campaigns. Each of these findings and their
implications for future language-based as well as effects-oriented GOTV studies is
detailed in the dissertation, whose primary goal is to shift the scholarly trend of
understanding mobilization from a strictly effects-based focus to include a spotlight on
language.
Department
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