Aesthetics as weapons in the “war of ideas": exploring the digital and typographic in american conservative web sites

• Christina R. Foust ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Denver

     University of Denver

     Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Southern communication journal, ISSN 1041-794X, Vol. 73, nº 2, 2008, págs. 122-142
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Through a rhetorical analysis of three conservative Web sites, this essay explores how media aesthetics relate to political struggle, particularly within today's information economy. A Burkean reading reveals how selected sites exploit the digital aesthetic to promote identification; and, following the historical analogue of yellow journalism, position their users as activists against a “dominant liberal media.” Yet, by presenting themselves as “yellow” activists, conservatives risk alienating traditionalist patrons who value truth and authority. The essay considers how David Horowitz's FrontPageMag.com promotes identification by blending yellow spectacle with typographic austerity, uniting the conservative movement on-line. By conducting close readings of Web site aesthetics, the essay concludes communication scholars may further develop the meaning of “interactivity,” particularly as it assists political movements.