President Obama's State of The Union Adress:

Triune Brain:

Neocortex- Much of Obama's speech is highly informational, therefore we must use our neocortex to analyze that information to make out our own opinions about the message of his speech.

Reptillian- Some of the things Obama brings up in his speech are topics that illicit fear from many Americans (national debt, bailouts, recessionary state of the economy, etc). Fear is an emotion that is often linked to the reptillian brain, therefore Obama is appealing to this portion of the brain to get his message across.

Eight Trends:

Aesthetic Shift- This text shows an aesthetic shift because it can be viewed not only on youtube, but on the White House youtube channel. This shows that even the nations capital has accpeted, and put to use the tool of convergence within the world of Web 2.0.

Cultural Shift- Throughout much of his speech, Obama talks about keeping an eye on the nations large corporations and banks to moniter what they are doing with their money, and making sure they are spending it appropriately. This shows a shift toward surveillance for companies and banks that were much more private about their spending before.

Seven Principles:

Production Techniques- wide array of camera angles and close-up shots on Obama and other well-known figures in the audience, such as audience reaction shots.

Pacing- The President speaks at a pace that is clear, concise and understandable. He uses many pauses to let his message sink in and let his audience process the information he is giving them.

Techniques of Persuasion:

Group Dynamics- "My Fellow Americans."

Nostalgia- Various times of strife in American history (Great Depression).

Scientific Evidence- 1 in 10 Americans can't find work.

Humor- Root canal reference.

Thesis: Though many have critisized Obama in taking too long to solve problems he argues that the big problems that our nation is facing don't get solved overnight, and there is a long haul ahead to get us back on the right track.