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Sophia McKnight-Giuliano
English 115
Professor Melisa Malvin
18 October, 2016

Liking Isnt Helping

In todays world, we are stuck with our noses in our phones and computers, taken hold of
by the grasp social media. We are so absorbed in our actions and the actions of others, we forget
what is really going on around us. Horrific images and videos of events that are happening
around the world are advertised all over social media, however, instead of going out and aiding
the cause we simply like the image and move on. Although we may be stricken with a brief
moment of sadness, it often doesnt add to the desire to volunteer. The advertisement chosen is a
perfect reflection of our societies values. The images dark and thought provoking presentation
of an important social issue, amplifies the message that our society is unwilling to take action
and oblivious towards issues other than our own.
The advertisement is black and white, with light shining on the center of the image,
making the focal point an African American child with an amputated leg. The condition of the
child and his environment indicates that the ad is set in a different country. The crib the child is
laying in looks as though it is covered in dirt. In the background, there sits an empty crib,
showing that the child is alone. With tears welling up in his eyes, the little boy looks sad and
pained. Around him in a circle, are hands giving the boy a thumbs up. At first glance, it looks
like the people in the picture are enjoying the fact that the child is suffering, but after reading the

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slogan in the advertisement, the meaning becomes more clear. At the top of the advertisement,
the text reads Liking isnt helping, accompanied by the quote Be a volunteer. Change a life.
The thought that liking such a devastating event, such as a child that had his leg
amputated, is contradictory. Much of our society thinks that liking an image means a show of
support and empathy. It also makes us feel like we are helping, when we are really just adding
gasoline to the fire. Many of us are too caught up in our own lives, causing us to lose interest
about issues happening in other places around the world. Ultimately, our society today is
disconnected from reality and lost to apathy. The thumbs up gesture and the text create a
powerful message that liking a horrible event seen on social media doesnt aid the tragedies of
the incident. It emphasizes that in order to make a difference, you cannot just act from behind a
computer screen; you must get involved.
The advertisement appeals to all three forms of visual rhetoric. The lack of color in the
image creates a dramatic effect. Placing the wounded child in the middle of the picture also
evokes an emotional response, therefore, appealing to pathos. The condition of the child, the lack
of genuine help, and the thumbs up gesture bring on feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration.
The creators of the advertisement are targeting the audiences emotions, resulting in a reality
check and newfound desire to volunteer.
While stirring up an emotional response is the key intention, the advertisement also
appeals to logic. It achieves this by pointing out a key societal problem and suggesting a
potential course of action that will serve the cause. It is logical that liking a picture doesnt
save a life and that being hands-on is the only way to offer relief. The presence of logic in the ad
works to persuade the audience through reason.

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The advertisement was created by the Crisis Relief Organization, an organization that
helps to meet the needs of victims in the case of a crisis. Their mission statement is Opening
doors through Gods love. According to their website, they partner with other projects to
extend unconditional hope and love in crisis hit locations. Because this is a credible, do-good
organization with a foundation in spiritual beliefs, the advertisement they created appeals to
ethos. The audience would consider the organizations values and the character of its volunteers,
ultimately weighing on the impact the ad has on its viewers.
In Picture This, Molly Bang explores how shape, light, space, and the presence of other
objects affect an image. Her work directly correlates to how we see the advertisement developed
by the Crisis Relief Organization. According to Bang, the center of an image is the point of
attraction and the smaller the object, the more vulnerable it appears. Placing the child in the
center of the image places the focus on the child and the condition he is in. While the child in ad
takes up the majority of the space, we think of children as being small, therefore we see him as
being vulnerable. She also talks about how light backgrounds make us feel safer in comparison
to darker backgrounds. The contrast in the image along with darker background, emanate a
feeling of insecurity. In addition, she explains that adding new objects changes the effect of the
other objects in the picture. The image of the child alone is sad and horrific, but by adding the
multiple hands giving the child a thumbs up, it changes the meaning of the picture completely.
Molly Bang also states that The overlapping objects pierces or violates the space of the
other, but this also joins them together into a single unit. This is a powerful concept that is
present in the ad. The hands giving the thumbs up gesture overlap the child in the center,
invading his space. It can be seen as symbolic because liking an image of a terrible event on

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social media can be a violation of someones life even though it may also be seen as a sign of
support. Despite this common way of showing support, it represents the creation of unity through
action.
Hugh Rank developed a schema to analyze the use of persuasion in advertisements. He
proposes that we all intensify and downplay in the process of communication. When intensifying
an image or advertisement, the persuader tries increase the significance of different components
through repetition, association, and composition. The repetition of a word or object ensures that
it will be remembered. The Crisis Relief advertisement utilizes repetition by displaying multiple
hands giving the child a thumbs up, creating a visual pattern. This insinuates that this is not an
isolated problem, but rather something that most of us do collectively. Association ties the ad
with an idea or object that already has an emotional connection in the eyes of the viewers. A
child is thought of as a delicate being that needs protecting. The advertisement uses the wounded
child as a focal point, promoting the desire of generosity and selflessness. An ad can also be
intensified through the overall composition of images and words. By using the phrases Liking
isnt helping and Be a volunteer. Change a Life, the Crisis Relief ad elicits a sense of urgency
to aid their cause.
The advertisement developed by the Crisis Relief Organization creatively expresses a key
societal issue present in our world today. The utilization of visual rhetoric, light, intensification,
and the presence of other objects, actively works to persuade the audience to believe in their
cause by evoking an emotional response. This image emphasizes that in order to make a change
in someones life, you must get out from behind your computer screen and get involved.

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Works Cited
Morse, Felicity A. "Liking Isn't Helping. Publicis Facebook Campaign For Crisis Relief
Singapore Wins Top Award. The Huffington Post. 2013.
Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work. Seastar Books, 2000.
Rank, Hugh. "Intensify/Downplay." Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition,
Edited by Alfred F. Rosa and Paul A. Eschholz, 11th ed., Bedford/St. Martins, 2012, pp.
609-610