The Voice of Peta King
Blogger Peta King incorporates inclusive language (e.g. the use of “we” and “us”), unique article structure instead of a traditional format, and charged diction to galvanize his blog following, inspire action, and create the sense that its members are part of a larger movement. Mr. King is a blogger for PADI, a scuba diver training organization. PADI has a global presence and is active in environmental conservation as its website observes that “a healthy underwater environment is essential to good diving.” Peta King is a life-long diver and write blogs for PADI towards the ends of advancing PADI’s conservation efforts. A topic that has captured his attention is issue of plastic pollution in the ocean. In both his blogs, “How PADI Divers Around the World are Fighting to Protect Our Ocean” and “The Truth About the Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, King skillfully advances his cause with rhetorical and stylistic strategies.
King’s use of inclusive language creates a sense of strength in numbers. For a conservationist movement, portraying an issue as global may strategically attract additional advocates. Individuals are likely to support issues that impact them. Further, a strong following may also inspire others to change their behavior. A strong majority — or the perception of a strong majority — is more likely to inspire change than an obscure minority. Accordingly, in both articles, King frequently begins his statements with “we” or “us”. For example, his statement “we asked the PADI® community to share with us” conjures a strong sense of community and togetherness. This theme permeates throughout both articles including “we wanted to bust a few of the myths floating around.” The frequent use of “we” frames the issue of plastic pollution as an information battle of us versus them.
Both articles also utilize a non-traditional format to capture the interest of readers. Instead of a five-paragraph format, King features a series of Instagram posts in one blog and a dispel the myth strategy for the other. The former format incorporates social media engagement. By including other “normal” people in his blog, King maintains an egalitarian and populist format that seems more interactive. His dispel the myth approach also cleverly presents information in a simultaneously didactic and casual manner. The bold headlines of each number myth also make this blog easy to follow. These formats are effective for blogs as they are more accessible to a greater number of people. They are also less intimidating than traditional article formats with its social media involvement and casual presentation.
At key points, King utilizes emotional diction to highlight the severity of plastic pollution. When discussing the adverse impacts of plastic pollution, King writes that “it’s devastating” and items are “trapped”, which leads to “sad” impacts and other “devastating” facts. With careful placement of charged diction, King skillfully guides the reader when to have strong emotions — when presented with the negative effects of plastics in the ocean. This is designed to stoke anger about the issue and hopefully inspire action.
King’s use of inclusive language, unique article structure, and charged diction serves PADI in its endeavors in ocean conservation and creating a favorable diving environment for its constituents. A study of these rhetorical and stylistic devices reveals that these writing strategies are deliberate to create its desired effect.
