CMNS - Authority and influence .pdf - In Robert Cialdini’s...

In Robert Cialdini’s work on persuasion he describes various so-called “weapons” of
persuasion, one of which is authority. I want you to explain why Cialdini claims that
authority is such a powerful communication trigger. Furthermore, can you offer some
examples of the “convenience of automatic obedience” that he mentions?
This feedback from society to technology constitutes the democratic paradox : the public is
constituted by the technologies that bind it together but in turn it transforms the technologies
that constitute it.
Belief in expertise is a semiotic shortcut that enables us to take the shortest route to a
course of action without having to be unduly concerned with getting all of the
information straight in our own minds
Sometimes the best defense is simply to slow down and consider the source of the
information.
Psychologists have recently uncovered a number of mental shortcuts
that we employ in making our
everyday judgments ( Kahneman , Slovic , &
Tversky , 1982 ; Todd & Gigerenzer , 200 7 ) . Termed judg mental heuristic s , these
shortcuts operate in much the same fashion as the expensive = good rule ,
allowing for s implified thinking that works well most of the time but
leaves us open to occasional ,
Nistakes .
for example , the shortcut rule that goes , “ If an expert said so , it must be
tru e . ”
There is an unsettling tendency in our society to accept unthinkingly the statements
and direc tio ns of individuals who appear to be authorities on the topic . That is ,
rather than thinking about an expert ' s arguments and being convinced ( or not ) , we
frequently ignore the arguments and allow our s elves to be convinced just by the
expert ' s status as " expert . ” This tendency to respond mechanically
Marcel Danesi:
●
We can define [semiotics] as the ‘science of produced meaning.’ The ultimate goal of
semiotics is, in fact, to unravel the meanings that are built into all kinds of human products,
from words, symbols, narratives, symphonies, paintings, and comic books to scientific
theories and mathematical theorems.
Semiotics is concerned with three interrelated things:
●
1. The production of meaning through signs
●
2. The codes into which these signs are organized
●
3 The way these codes are related to culture and society

Meanings are associated with particular signs, but they do not reside in, nor are they forever
attached to, those signs. A few examples will show what I mean. In Roman times the word
add
Meaning is temporary because, as social agreements, word meanings are not permanent and
can change in response to shifting social and cultural circumstances.
In other words, we use and value shortcuts in a world where we are being subjected daily to
increasing time pressures. If we can take mental shortcuts, then we can accomplish our goals
more quickly and save ourselves time in the bargain.