A Visual Rhetoric Study on the Plastic Pollution Issues in National Geographic

Abstract

This study uses the National Geographic as the research sample, and focuses on the analysis of the visual image of the environmental risk issue of "plastic pollution". Not only does it classify and sort out which image symbols used in media risk reproduction, but also discusses how the text uses, invokes and activates image information, combines "illustrations" with textual discussions, and analyzes its meaning production process and framework. The research conclusions show that public communication on plastic pollution issues in National Geographic by means of visual media representation and symbol construction, mainly using photojournalism and design creation to expose the social aspects of risks (phenomena and problems) to the public. Also, it presents and tells readers the reality (source and essence) of risks in a scientific and simple manner, and inform the public of the ideal aspects of risks (practical methods), and guide the public to engage and participate in environmentally friendly actions. Keywords— environmental risk, plastic pollution, magazine, visual rhetoric, perception of risks _________________________________________________________________________________ 1. FORMATTING OF MANUSCRIPT COMPONENTS The United Nations 2016 report pointed out that marine plastic waste has become a key factor threatening the ocean and life species (Dias, 2016), it has become the second largest environmental risk threat to mankind after climate change. In the past ten years, deaths of marine species due to accidental eating of garbage or being entangled by garbage have increased by 40%. Among them, plastic products are the deadliest marine killer (Dias & Lovejoy, 2012). The public’s perception of risk is different from that of scientists and professional elites, and the formation and impact of environmental risks are hidden and diverse. Mass media serves as an important link to construct public risk perceptions. How to communicate risks with the public, and how its strategies and effects are always the focus of attention of environmental communication researchers. Natural and environmental themes are visual in nature, and human perception and understanding of environmental risks are more likely to be affected by the visual space created by the media (Wahlberg & Sjoberg, 2000), to a certain extent, visual images help or hinder people from taking action (Meisner & Takahashi, 2013). David Perlmutter (1998) pointed out that images can stimulate the audience's emotional response, and clear content presentation can promote the emotional connection between the communicator and the audience. Aarti Iyer and Julian Oldmeadow (2006)also confirmed this theory, that is, comparing textual information with visual images, individuals will have greater mood swings when viewing visual images. Because the communicator's control over the rhythm of the composition, color, and elements of the visual picture, it is easy for the audience to produce emotional follow and movement effects, which in turn produce emotional perception effects. In other words, the use of image symbols in visual communication is of great significance to the shaping and communication of environmental risks. However, in academic research in the field of environmental risk, there have been relatively fruitful research results on the language rhetorical framework of media reproduction of environmental risks, but there are few analyses of visual communication and rhetorical frameworks (Hansen & Machin, 2013; Simonsen, Bærenholdt, Büscher, & Scheuer, 2010). For example, scholars such as Liisa Antilla (2005) and Carvalho (2005)When analyzing the scientific reporting framework and themes of " climate change " in American newspapers, it is concluded that in the analysis of media representation in the academic world, images are often used as supplementary research in text analysis, and have not become the focus of research and discussion. But for the construction of risk issues, images have an influential force that cannot be ignored. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies (ISSN: 2321 2799) Volume 9 – Issue 1, February 2021 Asian Online Journals (www.ajouronline.com) 7 As a media carrier that emphasizes visual beauty and visual persuasion, magazines are published faster than books, and their content editing is wider and deeper than newspapers. At the same time, they combine the advantages of newspapers and books, and avoid the publishing speed of the two, and layout restrictions, has an indispensable influence in the field of communication. However, compared to newspapers, television and Internet media, " magazines " pay relatively little attention to environmental communication research(Adam, 1998). Newspaper media has always been the main carrier of environmental risk content analysis, and there are more prominent research results in both textual narrative and visual rhetoric (see, e.g., Anne DiFrancesco & Young, 2011; Howenstine, 2005; Smith & Joffe, 2009). Check the domestic and foreign research literature on the reappearance of environmental risks in " magazines " , and only find academic articles that use "National Geographic" to study its text and visual images (see, e.g., Ahern, Bortree, & Smith, 2013; Remillard, 2011; Todd, 2010), and the number is small. It can be seen that the rhetoric and image research of environmental geography " magazines " are more likely to be ignored by environmental communication scholars. Even if there are some research outputs, they mostly focus on the social phenomena constructed by visual images, and fail to analyze the " magazines " . "The image composition, symbolic metaphor, the use of visual rhetoric framework and how to effectively convey the risk message to achieve the persuasive effect. However, environmental geography " magazines " not only have the objectivity and scientific nature of newspaper content editing, but also have high image quality, layout design, and reading rhythm arrangement, which can more intuitively disseminate natural and geographic environmental affairs to the public. The analysis of visual rhetoric and image symbols in environmental geography " magazines " can help environmental communicators, environmental protection workers / ecological artists have a deeper understanding of the characteristics, advantages and necessity of environmental risk visualization, and then in the future communication design work Organize more effective visual symbol information and visual strategies to communicate with the public. In summary, this study uses the English version of the scientific geography magazine "National Geographic" as a research sample, and focuses on the visual presentation of the environmental risk of " plastic pollution " , focusing on how the selected image symbols construct risk information and how to persuade The public attaches great importance to plastic pollution and participates in actions, while observing how the traditional Chinese version is translated into the English version. The research purpose and expected contribution mainly have three points:(1) Explore the characteristics and trends of the construction of visual symbols for plastic pollution in Scientific Geography; (2) Using semiotics and visual rhetoric to describe the visual symbolic language and rhetorical framework constructed by the magazine, at the same time, to propose a path for the academic integration and dialogue of visual communication design and environmental risk communication; (3) Analyze the methods to effectively enhance public awareness and environmentally friendly behaviors, and hope that this research will provide enlightenment for visual design, image analysis and public communication of environmental risks. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Characteristics and reproduction of environmental risks In the 1980s, the German sociologist Ulrich Beck proposed that the industrial revolution and technological rationalism not only gave birth to the state of a series of environmental problems and social structural imbalance, bring a lot more unpredictable and difficult to human society and the environment The potential risks of control, Hyundai is in the structure of a risk society (Beck, 1992; Yang & Hsu, 2012). Beck (2002)believes that risk is a cognitive system at the same time, with a high degree of " uncertainty " and artificially constructed meaning, representing a potential threat and disaster. The complexity and uncertainty of the risk society make the public’s perception of risk different, and the public’s interpretation of risk can often affect their participation(Yang & Hsu, 2012). If you do not reflect on the discourse and practical behaviors that lead to various environmental risk threats, And to rebuild the relationship between man and nature, both man and nature will be deeply trapped in repeated cycles of risk damage(Yang & Hsu, 2012). As far as the concept of risk is concerned, it refers to the possibility of occurrence in the future, so risk is an idea, not a fixed reality (Kinsella, 2002). People may know the probability of risk formation, but they cannot know when the risk will occur and what behavior will accelerate the formation of risk or even crisis. On the one hand, environmental risks are concealed and diverse. Many environmental issues are not easily described directly and are relatively invisible(Johnson & Covello, 2012).This brings many difficulties and obstacles to media workers’ agenda setting, text reproduction (including images and text), and public communication. For example, when the media reproduces scientific and professional risk topics such as " climate change " , " nuclear radiation " , and " marine pollution " , it is difficult to truthfully understand the formation and impact of risks due to the limitation of the media's own professional knowledge and balanced reporting positions. Present to the public. Moreover, many environmental problems are not clearly manifested, and the subst