ENVIRONMENTALISM ON THE WEB: POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN THE AGE OF NEW MEDIA by DYLAN WOLFE (Under the Direction of Kevin DeLuca) ABSTRACT This dissertation is a study of the rhetoric of environmental activism in the communication context of new media. I specifically focus on how the rhetoric of environmental activism operates on the internet. The group of media technologies known as “new media” are characterized by a high volume of cursory message fragments circulating speedily yet detached from a clear distinction between producers and consumers. I propose that in this communication context, circulation of new media texts is rhizomatic, moving on lines of flight rather than clearly delineated pathways. Determining the force of rhetoric requires engagement of textual elements, a surveying of relationships between textual fragments and technological characteristics in a discursive plateau. In this study I offer resonance as a conceptual basis for considering the rhetoric of advocacy in new media communication. Resonance aligns the rhetoric of a text with potential viewers’ experiences in discourse. Resonant elements of a text challenge dominant meaning, seeking to articulate knowledge more favorably to environmentalists. In order to account for the implications of an image-centered communicative circumstance, I also forward image resonance, a counterpart and compliment to resonance. Image resonance aligns with the rhetorical forces at the surface of images with the communicative conditions of the accelerated and surface-oriented world. INDEX WORDS: Environmental Communication, Rhetoric, New Media, Environmentalism, Communication, ENVIRONMENTALISM ON THE WEB: POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN THE AGE OF NEW MEDIA by DYLAN WOLFE B.S., State University of New York, College of Environmental Science & Forestry, 2001 M.S., State University of New York, College of Environmental Science & Forestry, 2003 A dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2006 © 2006 Dylan Wolfe All Rights Reserved ENVIRONMENTALISM ON THE WEB: POLITICAL ACTIVISM IN THE AGE OF NEW MEDIA by DYLAN WOLFE Major Professor: Kevin DeLuca Committee: John Murphy Christine Harold Vanessa Beasley Paul Sutter Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2006 iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Kourtney and Julie, whose resonance in my heart is simply too powerful to express. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing this project would not have been possible without the guidance, camaraderie, friendship, and support of many people, a few of whom I would like to thank here. Kevin DeLuca, my advisor, mentor, and friend, will forever inspire my scholarship. Celeste Condit has influenced my criticism and relationship to the world. John Murphy has taught me to consider the traditions of my intellectual heritage, while Christine Harold has helped me shake free of traditions. Vanessa Beasley and Bonnie Dow imparted lessons on personal and professional life that are beyond value. My compatriots in the graduate program at the University of Georgia are without question the bright future of the discipline. Kristy Maddux was instrumental in avoiding disaster at many crucial moments. Lisa Slawter required that I make sense when it was necessary. Davi Johnson and Shannon Holland became true friends in an unlikely time. Jarrod Atchison was a friend from the moment we met, as is his nature. Shanara Reid teaches tough lessons with her friendship, lessons that are indispensable. Friends and mentors from my time in Syracuse remain the most shaping of my life. I must thank Mark Meisner, Amardo Rodriguez, Pat Lawler, Deb Robson, Sue Senecah, and the Environmental Studies program at ESF for their direction in my education. Sam Snyder, Jack Lawrence, Ben Stahlberg, Lesleigh Cushing, Erik Eacker, Andrew Saldino, Willow Jacobson, and Chad Snyder are due thanks for other directions. Finally, my family has taken me farther than I expected I should ever go. Thank You. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................V LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... IX CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION: FROM EVENT TO CONCEPT ....................1 THE EVENT AND THE DIFFUSE .......................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ......................................................................................7 AUDIENCE ..................................................................................................................11 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION ...........................................................................12 NEW MEDIA ...............................................................................................................17 RHETORICAL STUDY ...................................................................................................24 CONCEPTS ..................................................................................................................34 CHAPTER TWO: CREATING THE MEATRIX RHIZOME ..................................40 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................40 PRODUCTIVITY PERSPECTIVE ......................................................................................43 THE MEATRIX SET LOOSE ...........................................................................................46 REPEATING MULTIPLE ORIGINS : .................................................................................51 THE RHIZOME .............................................................................................................56 THE COMMUNICATIVE ENCOUNTER OF NEW MEDIA RHETORIC ....................................65 CHAPTER THREE: A THEORY OF RESONANCE IN TWO CASE STUDIES ..70 vii INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................70 A PARALLEL HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RHETORIC ..................................................................................................................73 TOWARDS A THEORY OF RESONANCE ..........................................................................78 CASE STUDY ONE : RESONANCE IN THE MEATRIX .........................................................82 CASE STUDY TWO : RESONANCE AND WOODY HARRELSON ’S “T HOUGHTS FROM WITHIN ” ....................................................................................................................94 ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF NEW MEDIA COMMUNICATIVE ENCOUNTERS . ..................125 CHAPTER FOUR: IMAGE RESONANCE ............................................................128 EXCERPTS WORDED AND IMAGISTIC .........................................................................128 VISUAL RHETORIC AND IMAGE ANALYSIS .................................................................132 BAUDRILLARD ’S CHALLENGE ...................................................................................137 LEONARDO DICAPRIO .ORG ........................................................................................140 IMAGE RESONANCE ..................................................................................................151 THE QUESTION OF ANALYSIS , THE PROBLEM OF ACTIVISM ........................................158 IMAGE RESONANCE IN DICAPRIO .ORG .......................................................................160 ANOTHER SURFACE ..................................................................................................171 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS: DIFFUSING THE EVENT..........................175 CATEGORY – MILIEU – SYSTEMS ...............................................................................175 CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW MEDIA ...........................................................................180 THE RHETORICAL EVENT ..........................................................................................183 DIFFUSE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM ?......................................................................185 viii REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................191 APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................224 A Full Text of Woody Harrelson’s “Thoughts From Within” .........................224 B “Thoughts From Within” Annotated Table .................................................226 ix LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Sierra Club Advertisement in the New York Times, June 9, 1966 .....................2 Figure 2. The Standard Oil plub-in alters the information on an Amazon.com website.....4 Figure 3. Typing into the command bar appears to direct the "chicken's" actions ...........50 Figure 4. Title graphic for The Matrix............................................................................82 Figure 5. The Meatrix opening title uses the same distinctive font as The Matrix movie series. ............................................................................................................................83 Figure 6. Matrix character Morpheus shown in this publicity image for "Matrix Reloaded", the second Matrix film.................................................................................84