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Claire Langenhorst
Dr. Erin McLaughlin
Multimedia Writing & Rhetoric
9 October 2015
Effective Communication in Todays Society
In modern-day America, thanks to the state-of-the-art cell phones that nearly everyone
owns, news travels almost instantaneously. Most people under thirty are either clutching their
smartphones for dear life or already have their noses buried in them, so within moments of a
significant event, they know. This lifestyle that centers around technology and other media is
prominently displayed in the film Dear White People. This movie follows the lives of several
students at the prestigious Winchester University. Most issues on campus seem to tie back to one
young activist, Sam White, and her radio show and blog entitled Dear White People. This
show paints white people and the media as racists; it nearly condemns them for perpetuating
black stereotypes and oppressing black culture. In order to better spread her message that racism
is still alive and well in todays society, Sam runs against Troy Fairbanks, the son of the dean, in
the election for head of their traditionally African American house, and she wins. Since Troy no
longer has the responsibilities of head of house, he thinks about joining the staff of the
universitys humor magazine Pastiche. Pastiche is known for their annual Halloween party, and
this years themeDear White Peoplegets out of hand as people arrive in blackface and other
offensive costumes. Pictures of the party are plastered online, and a race riot breaks out. This
catastrophe, uncharacteristic of this prestigious, ivy league school, spreads through the media
like wildfire. It makes national headlines, making the entire country aware of the racial issues
that Sam tries so hard to communicate through her radio show.

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While an entertaining story, filmmakers created Dear White People for more than just its
entertainment or satirical value. This film is rooted in rhetoric. In his book The History and
Theory of Rhetoric, James Herrick, an American academic who researches rhetoric and
argumentation, notes that rhetoric has revolved around one central goal throughout its history
persuasion (12). The makers of Dear White People utilize several different rhetorical strategies
that persuade viewers to come to certain conclusions on numerous topics such as racism in
modern times or how child-parent relationships form certain behaviors. The film, however, goes
to great lengths to suggest the importance of technology in everyday life and persuade viewers to
agree in that it provides an efficient means of communication. Several main plot points in the
film involve the use of technology or social media, and many other aspects also illustrate how
the use of social media is nearly ubiquitous among college-age students. Dear White People
invites viewers to recognize how the increasing importance placed on technology and social
media makes them more effective mediums of communication in todays technology basedsociety.
To begin, the film cannot suggest that social media provides an effective means of
communication unless it first proves that students have a way to readily access it. Therefore,
filmmakers go to great, subtle lengths to ensure that viewers see how widespread the use of
technology is at Winchester. In order to stress this point, the main characters nearly always have
their devices, such as their laptops, cell phones, or tablets, with them. For example, take the
scene where Troy and Sam give their speeches for the head of house election. When they both
finish their speeches, and it is time to vote, a man says, I assume everyone has downloaded the
app I created by now. Voting may commence. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, every
person in the room reaches into their pockets and pulls out their cutting-edge smartphones. This

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scene demonstrates that since students will usually have their cell phones with them, they will
have a way to access the internet and subsequently, receive news and other alerts via their social
media accounts. Even on the occasion that the students are not currently using their devices,
more often than not, the devices are usually still in the frame, either sitting in front of or nearby
the students. The filmmakers are successful in employing this subtle strategy in order to stress
that the students always have a way to communicate or access information at their fingertips.
Not only did the filmmakers indisputably and effectively demonstrate the importance of
technology by showing how students constantly utilize it, but they emphasize it even more by
putting animations on the screen. Whenever a character receives a notification such as a text or a
phone call, an animation would appear on the screen that illustrates the notification and how the
character responds. It is this strategy, however, that also brings up doubt in the argument that the
most effective way to communicate is through technology. Through these on-screen animations,
viewers can see how the characters censor themselves in ways that would have been impossible
had the communication taken place in a more traditional manner such as a face-to-face meeting.
For instance, this happens in the scene when the newspaper editorwho obviously has a crush
on Lioneltexts Lionel, Hey handsome. Hows the story? Viewers see Lionel type out Going
great, sexy, but then watch him delete the word sexy and send the text with an emoticon
instead. Additionally, another example of this self-censorship occurs when Sam takes a call from
her mom right before the protest is to begin. While Sams mom only hears her respond Okay,
several times, the viewers see what her mom would have if this had been a face-to-face
interactionthat Sam starts to cry and is very visibly upset.
These examples raise the question, does the ability to censor oneself really make
technology a more effective means of communication? The lack of transparency when

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communicating through technology is definitely a concern. When communicating through
technology, it is easy for tones to be misconstrued or information to be censored or lost. These
kinds of issues would normally not occur in face to face communication. While these problems
have their merit and may slightly decrease the overall effectiveness of communicating through
technology, it does not make it the more undesirable option. While it is unfortunate that Lionel
and the editor and Sam and her mom did not communicate to their full potential because of the
censorship, it does not make other forms of communication more practical. Communication
through technology is still the more effective way of reaching other people.
Perhaps the most effective example in the film of using of technology and social media to
communicate a message is Sams radio show, Dear White People. Sam is an activist and makes
it her personal mission to educate anyone and everyone who will listen to her about the racism
that still exists in everyday life. In order to raise awareness for her cause, Sam could have chosen
to stand on a street corner or in the middle of one of Winchesters busiest dining halls and make a
speech to persuade people to listen to her message. In this day and age, however, that strategy
would not only be exhausting but very ineffective. If Sam were to stand on the steps and give a
speech, people would still hear her message; the audience, however, would be limited to only
those who had physically shown up to hear her speak. Some people, however, like her friend
Reggie, still believe that a more hands-on approachlike a rally on campuswould be a more
effective way to raise awareness for their cause, but Sam does not agree that a rally would be a
more influential strategy. The fact that Reggie and those with the same belief do not agree with
what the rhetoric of the film is suggesting is normal because rhetoric is response-inviting. . . .
any rhetorical expression may elicit a response from someone advocating an opposing view
(Herrick 11). In this fashion, Reggie tries to make his case and argues, We gotta rally, Sam. The

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time is now, Sam responds, Reggie use your head. Do you really think that a rally is gonna
change things? He retorts, Itll do a hell of a lot more than a radio show or views on YouTube.
Sam is offended and still does not agree, but she concedes to holding a rally. Just before it
begins, Sam, Reggie, and their friends gather on a deserted quad as Reggie hands out their signs.
Even though the rally ends up falling through, viewers see that the place in which it was
supposed to be held was vacant, inviting skeptics to realizes that they, and Reggie, are incorrect
in the belief that a rally would have been more effective than communicating through media, like
Sams radio show. Their rally would have not been entirely ineffective; it would have still
reached a few hundred people at best. Sams show, however has the potential to reach thousands
at any moment.
It is for this reason that Sam chooses to produce a radio show to communicate her
message instead; it is a smarter, much more effective way to make her voice be heard. This way
people do not have to be physically present in a certain place to hear what she has to say; the
only thing people have to do is tune in at the time of her show. Sam also posts her memorable,
short, snippy beliefs about everyday racism to her Dear White People blog for anyone to view
instantaneously at any time, and that is how Sam gains her immense popularity and following
outside her university radio show. On her college campus, only so many people hear her message
and even fewer are willing to listen, but by posting her videos online, her message can be
delivered immediately, anytime, anywhere, and to anyone who wants to hear about her cause.
Through social media, her message even reaches people who might have been unaware of her
cause or have never heard of her show. People who like Dear White People have the option to
share it on their own social media pages, possibly introducing Sams show to hundreds or even
thousands of new potential subscribers. The widespread use of social media by an overwhelming

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majority of people all over the world practically does the marketing work for Sam. It is due to
this sharing and easy, instantaneous access to her videos that makes Dear White People a
prime example as to why using social media to communicate a message is the best and most
effective option.
While social media provides an effective source of activism for Sam, that is not the only
way in which social media is effective in communicating messages. One particular social media,
Facebook, is utilized in a few ways in the film to communicate. However, most notably,
Pastiche, Winchesters popular satirical magazine, plans to use their Facebook page to send out
an invite to their infamous, annual, invite-only Halloween party. Unfortunately, this year the
party coincides with an event involving important donors, so President Fletcher orders his son
and head of Pastiche, Kurt, to cancel the party. Kurt reluctantly obeys, but Sam overhears this
conversation and concocts a devious plan to better proclaim her message that racism is still alive
to the world. She hacks Pastiches Facebook page and sends out her own inviteone that invited
attendees to a Dear White People-themed party. The student body knew that Kurt had canceled
the party, but given the official invite, everyone assumed he had changed his mind. Not one
person saw an issue with the controversial theme, which says something about Kurts reputation
as well as the attendees own morals. Sam says, That invite. . . should have been met with
derision and outrage. Instead, a hundred people. . . showed up and they pulled out posters and
decorations and costumes that they had made for such an event. Not long after the party begins,
about a dozen black students head there with the intentions of breaking it up, and a race riot
ensues. It makes national headlines, publicizing Sams message for herracism still exists in our
society.

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While the Facebook page was not utilized for what it may have been intended, it is
perfectly effective for Sams purposes. She uses this social media to efficiently send out a mass
invitation to a Dear White People party hosted by Pastiche. With her belief that racism is still
largely present on Winchesters campus, she knew that people would enthusiastically attend this
legendary party. So when over one hundred students eagerly arrive dressed in extremely racially
offensive costumes, Sam achieves her goal of proving that racism is alive. She did not expect the
party to end in violence, but it works to her advantage The national media coverage helps her
communicate her message on an unprecedented scalemillions are now hearing the message
compared to the feeble thousands that viewed her videos. So in the end, Sam wins. Through the
effective use of social media, she is able to send out a mass invitation that leads to racist party,
ultimately proving the message that she has been trying to communicate for so longracism still
exists in todays society.
Dear White People, thus, clearly demonstrates the importance that todays society places
on technology and media, suggesting to viewers they are the most effective means of
communication. This film is evidently a rhetorical work because, according to Lloyd Bitzer,
Associate Professor of Speech at University of Washington, in his article The Rhetorical
Situation . . . a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind (3).
This film is a response to the growing importance that society places on technology. So as
technology continues to advance and become more prominent in every day life, it will begin to
change how people communicate, and that is what the film is dedicated to arguing through
rhetoric. Filmmakers reinforce this theme dramatically through the constant use of cell phones,
Sams wildly popular radio show, and lastly, the Facebook invite that causes a national headlinegrabbing riot. These plot points were made with the intention of persuading viewers and

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suggesting that as long as todays society continues to rely on technology and media as much as
it already does, they will provide the most effective means of communication.

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Works Cited
Bitzer, Lloyd F. "The Rhetorical Situation." Philosophy and Rhetoric 1 (1968): 1-14. Print.
Dear White People. Dir. Justin Simien. Perf. Tessa Thompson and Tyler James Williams.
Lionsgate Roadside Attractions, 2014. iTunes.
Herrick, James A. "An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed.
Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 11-12. Print.