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First, I want to preface this by saying that I found this when searching for ideas on public service announcements. The YouTube video used to draw people in and check out their site caught my attention. That pull led to my decision on the PSA used for this discussion post. The public service announcement that I will be focusing on is Operation Prevention. This is the website () centered on the public service announcement, but this is the video () that led me to check it out.
The two different routes to persuasion are the central route and the peripheral route. With the central route, we can be persuaded by systematically processing the information contained in the persuasive messages (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 171). When using this route, the message can be changed based on the argument, whether by the evidence provided or research shown about a certain topic. There is also the peripheral route: attitude change depends on presence of persuasion cues, which trigger heuristic processing (Branscombe & Baron, 2017, p. 171). This route relies more on cues that bring about certain aspects within a person, such as emotions. For this PSA, both forms are being used. From the central route, the site has links to different resources for various audiences. They have resources for parents, schools, the workplace, and even culture-based. Depending on the resources, there are plenty of options for people to click through, searching for a way to prevent or stop someone from substance misuse. One section, the workplace link, has modules to complete to gain better insight into the opioid crisis. As seen with the video link that caught my attention, this is where the peripheral route comes in. On the site, there are videos, especially aimed at students, as they probably figured this might be a better route to connect with them than statistics. This PSA offers a variety of options, and it was interesting to look around to see some of the resources.
From what can be seen, the PSA tries to cover a vast range of variables, trying to meet the needs of people looking at the issue of substance misuse. This could be because they are suffering or might know someone dealing with it. I think the most important variable is age, and the PSA shows this by offering resources for different age groups. There are resources for parents and students, but they also have some for the workplace. By accommodating different age groups, a wider audience is being reached, especially since substance misuse can impact many individuals. Even from the communicator aspect, there are resources where parents could talk to their kids, or a job could talk to their employees about the issue. This shows that age is a huge factor in this PSA, trying to cover their bases with the resources offered so they can help more people. As for the least important, I would probably say gender and personality. For gender, the PSA is hitting both groups, and there is no real focus or favor towards a specific gender. The videos have people from all walks of life, showing how anyone could be impacted by substance misuse. This leaves me feeling that gender is not an important variable in this PSA. Just as there is no real focus on personality, proving this variable is not that important either.
Substance misuse is a global problem, which the site for this PSA should remember. While it can switch to Spanish, it should also offer other languages, making it possible to use worldwide. Even though there is a section for culture-based resources, a need to expand in multiple areas should happen, especially if you want to reach more people. While it has resources for elementary and middle school kids, there are other grade levels and even adults who might find resources on the subject useful. Under the culture-based section, there is a blurb talking about Native and non-Native students, which is great, especially on the Native aspect. However, the world is full of other cultures, ethnicities, and religions that could also be focused on. Once again, this circles back to reaching a wider audience, allowing more people to obtain the help they might need for themselves or someone they care about. The PSA is on the right track, but they do need to expand their culture-based section or create a new one to make it more welcoming to others. This is something they should keep in mind, especially if they want to be a success on a global scale. During my quick look at the PSA, there is potential and could prove useful for people searching for information about substance misuse. Question for the class: regarding the two different persuasion routes, do you think they fit more with a specific age range or that either route could work if done correctly? For example, do you feel the peripheral route might work better with teens than the central route?
