Think About The Role Of Symbols Used In Persuasion How Are Symbols Us Think about the role of symbols used in persuasion. How are symbols used to achieve persuasive communication ethically? How are they misused? Search and view commercial advertisements on the Internet. The advertisement can be either a print or a video. Choose one unethical advertisement for this Discussion. 3-paragraph explanation of how symbols are used unethically in your selected advertisement. Be sure to include a link to your selected commercial advertisement with your post. Please use references from: Larson, C. U. (2013). Persuasion: Reception and responsibility (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth. Chapter 2, “Perspectives on Ethics in Persuasion”—Importance of Ethics (pp. 41–47).
Paper For Above instruction Symbols play a crucial role in persuasion by conveying messages that can influence audiences' attitudes and behaviors. Ethically used symbols are intended to communicate transparently and responsibly, aligning with moral standards that respect the dignity and autonomy of audiences. For instance, positive symbols such as national flags or health-related icons are meant to evoke pride or awareness without misleading. However, symbols can be misused when they manipulate emotions or fears unethically, often in advertising, to distort truth and exploit vulnerabilities. Such misuse can lead to misleading perceptions, damaging trust and undermining ethical communication principles (Larson, 2013, pp. 41–44). One illustrative example of unethical use of symbols in advertising is a commercial I selected that employs a sense of fear and anxiety to sell products. The advertisement depicts images of unhealthy, distressed individuals alongside symbols of illness and danger, such as ominous pathogens or warning signs, to imply that the product is necessary for safety and health. These symbols are strategically used to generate fear, compelling viewers to purchase the product under false pretenses. This manipulation of symbols bypasses rational evaluation by appealing solely to emotional responses, which is ethically questionable because it exploits consumers' insecurities (Larson, 2013). The ad's intention to provoke fear rather than inform responsibly exemplifies an unethical misuse of symbolic communication in persuasion. Furthermore, the advertisement may distort the true nature of the product by overemphasizing risks or dangers through the symbolic imagery, leading consumers to believe they are at imminent harm, even when the evidence does not support such claims. This practice not only misleads the audience but also compromises ethical standards by intentionally distorting reality for commercial gain. According to Larson (2013), such unethical use of symbols undermines the integrity of persuasive acts because it neglects the