Why an individual investigation of smog aroused public engagement : a rhetorical analysis of Under the dome

Abstract: In 2015, Chai Jing’s film, Under the Dome: Investigating China’s Smog, was issued online and soon gathered two hundred millions of views only within 48 hours. The unprecedented diffusion of Under the Dome suggests a successful communication case for an environmental topic in terms of the extensive attention and heated discussion it brought about, as well as its potential influence in raising the public awareness and policy-making. Un-der the Dome arouses broad study interests from various disciplines re-garding the reasons back of the phenomenon. This essay focuses on ex-ploring the rhetorical approaches employed in the film and argues that Un-der the Dome’s rhetoric presents an innovative mode of persuasion: the incorporation of investigative journalism and personal perspective and dis-course. While developing the credibility of its information and arguments through practical means of investigative journalism, the individual stand and other personalized multimedia assets build up a close connection with the audience and encourage their engagement. Functioning together with oth-er factors such as the new media as the distribution channel, the timing of its issue and the celebrity effect of the film-maker, the distinctive rhetorical design empowers its persuasiveness and contributes notably to the virality of the film.