MagicMouseFan
Well-Known Member
You’re absolutely right and excellent point Disney Irish! It’s not something that many people are going to purposely pay attention to the subtle difference in language when watching a 10 second clip. They’re not there thinking about whether it’s “I” or “we”; they are consuming it based on their own life.The average person doesn't pick up on that nuance when reading something, especially when its a 10 second clip form. They don't distinguish the "I" verse "we" in the way you break it down. Its fine when grading an English paper, but when a normal person reads it they aren't grading it, they are ingesting it based on their perspective of life.
But that raises another question: does it stay in the subconscious?
In a classic study by psychologists Tversky and Kahneman, the framing was shown to matter in decisions. The participants were given a scenario, a disease that would kill 600 people. It was offered in two treatments, one with a positive framing: lives saved; and the other with negative framing: lives lost.
I totally agree with that and that’s a great question Disney Irish! Not many people will intentionally pay attention to the little change in language when watching a 10 second video clip. They aren’t there thinking about whether it’s “I” or “we”; they are watching it based on their own lives.
But that raises another question: does it stay in the subconscious?
In a classic study by psychologists Tversky and Kahneman on the framing effect, the research found that phrasing does make a difference in decisions. The participants were given a scenario, a disease that would kill 600 people. They had to choose between two treatments, one with a positive framing: lives saved, and the other with negative framing: lives lost.
The first one was the positive framing:
• “200 people will be saved.”
• “There is a 33% chance that all 600 people will be saved, and a 66% chance that no one will be saved.”
The second one was the negative framing:
• “400 people will die.”
• “There is a 33% chance that no one will die, and a 66% chance that all 600 will die.”
The outcomes were the same, but people chose the ‘saved’ option in the positive frame and the risky option in the negative frame. The subject’s subconscious reaction was affected by the information provided to them, even if they did not know it.
Exactly how pr, advertising, and the media work. People do not think through every word that they say, but the way something is phrased does affect their perception. That is why sound bites and headlines are so carefully chosen. It may be intentional or not, but I do think that the switch from “I” to “we” does change the way a message is delivered, even if people aren’t actually paying attention to it.
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