Rhetoric in action: A multimodal and rhetorical analysis of PETA and animal justice online advocacy

Abstract

Activist groups, particularly PETA and Animal Justice, leverage multimodality in online advocacy to effectively communicate their organizational missions and updates across diverse communication platforms. This study uses a content analysis approach to examine the official websites of two prominent international animal rights organizations, PETA and Animal Justice, with the aim of understanding how they utilize multimodality to emotionally engage their audiences. The analysis of sample news reports, featured stories, photographs, and video materials collected from 50 web pages of these organizations’ official sites reveals three key findings: the use of multimodal combinations and synergetic blending, the application of rhetorical appeals, and an emphasis on a call to action. The subsequent discussion and conclusion highlight the significance of adopting a multimodal approach in the current technological landscape, illustrating how PETA and Animal Justice, as non-profit and non-academic entities, effectively convey their messages persuasively through online advocacy and multimodality. This study contributes to multimodal theory by demonstrating how the combination of visual, textual, and auditory elements enhances emotional engagement in digital advocacy—a domain that has received limited scholarly attention.