Initial Thoughts about my Audience for my Public Argument

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Antibiotic_sensitvity_and_resistance.JPG

     Last week in class we thought about our audience, who we are addressing as we write our essays. Being a part of the YouTube and Social Media era, I assumed everything was for a rather general audience. Anyone who found this article would read it. However, after thinking about the term 'general audience' I realized this does not exist. Everyone who reads a paper, watches a video, or listens to a song will have an opinion coming in, and form an opinion as they are using the medium. The general audience will disagree with itself, there is not a single thing we agree on. From the type of flag we fly above our house, to the way we treat our fellow humans, there will be disagreement. From Equality, Freedom of Speech, and Wars, to songs, movies, and books, we all have an opinion. This 'general audience' is a myth. 

     All races, gender, age groups, will be effected by this Public Argument. Mostly people who are constantly prescribed antibiotics or people who cannot afford to eat organic food all the time will be targeted by my argument. Middle class Americans could be considered the primary audience, because thy tend to purchase less organic food (due to cost). All humans that can or will come in contact with bacteria should be conscious about the effect of antibiotic overuse in society. According to some preliminary research, Americans who have children and elderly should be more the target audience for antibiotic abuse in the population, as they are more likely to abuse this medicine. Stakeholders in this argument include farmers and scientists for the reduction of antibiotics. On the other side, we have misinformed doctors and big pharmaceutical companies that will influence the argument the other way. People who are against Western Medicine will not find this article useful, because they are not part of the issue. Also, farmers that do not use artificial hormones or chemicals will not be effected by this in any way. 

     My audience should be somewhat familiar with this issue. The topic has been discussed before, as many animals have not been treated with growth hormones after some studies done in the early 2000's. However, the antibiotic abuse in human health is a little more recent. Many people do not realize how close we are to being unable to use antibiotics. Many efforts are being made to find a different cure for infections, as bacteria become resistant to all forms of antibiotics. 

     Anyone who views TED Talks or enjoys learning through videos will encounter this argument. Whether they agree or disagree, another audience that will come into contact with this form of information are stakeholders against the spread of this information. Pharmaceutical companies and some doctors might not want this information shared with their patients. 

     These negative stakeholders may become hostile in this argument. They may try to create facts including a decrease in antibiotic abuse, or no correlation between antibiotic consumption through food and dangers to health. Although this information is untrue, anyone not fully educated in this field could easily be persuaded against my argument. 

     My audience would need to have a basic understanding of how antibiotics work, and why they are being abused. The audience also needs to understand that antibiotics are only used to treat bacterial infections, not virus', fungi, or parasites. Finally, an understanding of how antibiotic resistance is achieved would be ideal, but this can be explained in the TED Talk as well.