The documentary that I watched is from Netflix’s “Explained” series…this one is about Cults.

In this documentary, they used “pathos” and “ethos”, with reputable scholars and first hand witnesses who survived being in a cult. Major elements are also imagery and conflicts presented. There was also an informative portion of the documentary that warns the audience of how to spot a potential cult/cult leader. This was the part that really drew me in, because I felt like I could apply this information to my own life if anyone were to ever try and pull something like that on me.

The new global pandemic (besides coronavirus) is arguably, according to the documentary, loneliness. When they said this, it gave a sense of Kairos. This is because of the relevancy of where we’re at with internet, and since we are all literally physically isolated worldwide, people feel as though they don’t have anywhere to turn to. The internet and social media are an excellent tool for narcissistic cult leaders to gain followers, so spreading this information and telling the stories of first hand survivors is an extremely effective.

Ideas to incorporate into my presentation are adding plenty of visuals, not text, and just verbally elaborating. Also adding information from firsthand witnesses or reputable sources and scholars adds an element of ethos to presentations. Additionally, keeping topics flowing and moving at a moderate to fast pace keeps things engaging. The whole “Expained” series are comparatively short documentaries, with concise information. I think the importance of being concise is extremely relevant in our work as COM majors (and in our future careers, of course.)