Theorizing a Vegan Advocate’s YouTube Vlog as a Rhetorical Act

Abstract

The community of YouTube creators, video bloggers or vloggers is growing as more technology becomes available where there is a shift of YouTube byline from “Your Digital Video Repository” to “Broadcast Yourself” that is paving the way to a new generation of communicators. Through YouTube, vloggers are given a democratic space to present their arguments for or against a particular issue. Particularly, YouTube has fostered a community of advocates such as vegan creators who produce videos dedicated to veganism and animal rights. This study conducts a rhetorical analysis of a YouTube vlogger and vegan advocate Ed Winters, also known as Earthling Ed. In the selected YouTube vlog, three prevalent rhetorical acts emerge: 1) addressing misconceptions, 2) upholding morality, and 3) moving to action. Animal agriculture for consumption and other forms of animal abuse or cruelty are the social exigencies that persuaded the vlogger to discuss these urgent issues, as well as the dire consequences to our health, the animals, and the environment, in his YouTube vlogs. To contribute to advancing a communicational view of advocacy, this study explores the use of rhetorical strategies and engages with questions of meaning and value on exigencies which allow for the creation of discourse with a pragmatic intent of offering a solution to commit to veganism. Results of the analysis also show that YouTube vlogging (video blogging) in an open space is multi-directional or complex, multi-temporal or continuous, and multi-situational or contextual, with three opportunities and the processes for a YouTube vlogger to advance an advocacy through interaction, inclusion, and influence.