College Writing Assignments

Virulent Vapes: Can You Handle Its Toxicity?

In recent years, vaping has become very popular among teens and young adults. Whether it is used as a way to quit smoking traditional cigarettes, gain external validation from fellow peers, or simply out of curiosity, many fail to be informed of the potential hazards. The Health Promotion Board, an organization that aims to promote health and prevent diseases in people, has created an advertisement that puts vapes into question. Like if it is worth the toxic side effects? The commercial Vape, The Toxic Friend You Don't Need, successfully spreads awareness by allowing the audience to be a part of a conservation with a therapist and young character who shares his regrets after vapes negatively affected every aspect of his life-all while providing relatable storytelling, dark humor, visual imagery, and factual information that convinces the youth to reconsider vaping to prevent such an unpleasant experience.

The rhetor heavily relies on the pathos appeal to form a deeper connection with the audience through emotional narration. To begin with, the main character discusses his negative vaping experiences during a therapy session, a place which requires vulnerability. He expresses his unpleasant feelings with a gloomy tone and face throughout the video appearing to be depressed to the viewers. According to the Census Bureau's household Pulse Survey,
"50% of adults ages 18-24" struggle with "anxiety and depression symptoms in 2023, compared to about a third of adults overall,"('KFF 20 Mar.2023'). Since depression and other mental health problems are so common among the youth, many of the audience will quickly notice his body language and can empathize with the main character. People with depression often experience emptiness and loneliness. They may develop unhealthy coping mechanisms, like turning to substances or certain people to temporarily fill that void and are more likely willing to participate in harmful activities such as vaping to gain more social acceptance. That sense of belonging. The main character admits that vaping seemed "cool at first '' and he wanted to fit in so he tried it only to realize later how "toxic" his relationship with it has become. Vaping had worsened his mental state and created an addiction. The young audience can relate to that type of peer pressure and action of seeking validation. Hearing about his struggle with addiction may discourage them from repeating the same mistakes. The vape is portrayed as a friend in the commercial that the main character describes as "a bad influence", which is an experience that most have at some point in life. There are many types of addictions and toxic relationships are one of them that people tend to overlook. This ad's comparison and real world example helps the audience gain a better understanding that vapes do not have their best interest even if it seems that way in the beginning. The audience can sympathize with the characters' personal stories.

The commerical also provides vivid imagery and expressive descriptions to involve the audience in the main character's vape experience that can evoke certain emotions. Another actor that portrays the vape is seen pestering the main character as he describes the vape as "clingy." The vape proceeds to choke him while he mutters "I can't seem to get away from him. I feel so suffocated by him. He's literally killing me," revealing the inevitable unpleasant physical symptoms of vaping such as the struggle to escape addiction, breathing issues, and potential death through visuals. The audience can then imagine how it truly feels like to be in that type of situation physically and mentally, which may dissuade them from trying or continuing vaping.

Although the rhetor wants the overall message to be taken seriously, they still manage to use dark humor that captivates the audience and creates a safe non judgmental environment for the ones that have used vapes. The actor that represents the vape makes silly facial expressions throughout the video as he bothers the main character while cheerful yet annoying music plays in the background. Keeping the video lighthearted prevents the audience from feeling criticized like popular anti-smoking commercials, making them more receptive to the message and leaves a good impression.

In addition to the pathos appeal presented in the commercial, the Health Promotion Board also provides logos with information that feeds into scary tactics. The actor who portrays the vape holds up a newspaper that briefly addresses someone being fined $2000 for vaping on the front page. There is also a list of potential consequences shown at the end of the video that includes the "$2000 in fines, risk of heart and lung diseases, and nicotine addiction." As mentioned in the Rhetorical Situations & Appeals reading, the ad "can appeal to an audience's intellect by using information that can be fact-checked (using multiple sources.)" The facts listed influences cause and effect thinking and may trigger worry in the audience regarding their health and finances.

The rhetor also relies on Kairos to convey its message when the vape market is still in high demand. Grand View Research reports that "the global e-cigarette and vape market size was valued at USD 22.45 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.6% from 2023 to 2030." Vapes remain popular among the youth and are showing no signs of declining in rates, which makes this a reasonable time to promote such a serious message, by an organization that intends to improve and maintain people's health.

The Health Promotion Board's approach to raising awareness about the dangers of vaping has proven to be effective in discouraging the youth. The audience can resonate emotionally with the main character's feelings and experiences while becoming more educated with the presented facts. They are left pondering the question if vaping is really worth the negative consequences.