What Counts? Exploring the Rhetorical and Argumentative Role of Visualized Metrics in Understanding the Pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the significant role of numerical data in public communication. Pandemic statistics shaped both individual and collective decisions. This paper examines a distinct digital genre that emerged across 11 Polish media outlets: COVID counters—multimodal genres that integ...
| Published in: | Topoi: An International Review of Philosophy Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 749 - 762 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Aug2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=187382420&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 187382420 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 01677411 NM2 jtl: Topoi: An International Review of Philosophy issn: 01677411 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Aug2025 vid: 44 iid: 3 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 187382420 10.1007/s11245-025-10191-7 ppf: 749 ppct: 13 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.1MB tig: atl: What Counts? Exploring the Rhetorical and Argumentative Role of Visualized Metrics in Understanding the Pandemic. aug: au: Modrzejewska, Ewa affil: https://ror.org/039bjqg32 Rhetoric and Media Department, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland su: COVID-19 Data visualization Risk perception Rhetoric Public communication Critical literacy Statistics Content analysis sug: subj: COVID-19 Data visualization Risk perception Rhetoric Public communication Critical literacy Statistics Content analysis keyword: Argumentation Counter COVID Numbers Visual rhetoric ab: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the significant role of numerical data in public communication. Pandemic statistics shaped both individual and collective decisions. This paper examines a distinct digital genre that emerged across 11 Polish media outlets: COVID counters—multimodal genres that integrate numerical, verbal, and visual elements to present real-time pandemic data. Applying a visual rhetorical framework, the study explores their persuasive and argumentative functions. While ostensibly neutral in reporting pandemic metrics, these counters served as rhetorical resources capable of supporting divergent—and at times conflicting—claims or opinions. In some instances, they could have been misleading or presented figures that were difficult to assess without specific contextual knowledge. The analysis raises three key concerns: the comprehension of visualized numbers and their rhetorical potential; the role of numerical data in shaping public and individual knowledge amid uncertainty and risk; and the necessity of multiliteracy skills for critically engaging with numerical data. By demonstrating how (visualized) numbers can shape different interpretations of the pandemic situation, this paper contributes to broader discussions on the epistemic risks and persuasive power of data visualization in online environments. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Topoi: An International Review of Philosophy is a copyright of Springer, 2025. All Rights Reserved. item: Topoi: An International Review of Philosophy holder: Springer Nature dt: @attributes: year: 2025 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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