The Bandwagon Fallacy in Everyday Life

The definition of a fallacy is a false or mistaken idea based on faulty knowledge or reasoning. “Rhetorical fallacy is a type of fallacy that doesn’t allow ideas to be communicated through back and forth communication but rather distracts the reader with appeals instead of using sound reasoning”. There are several different kinds of fallacy used in everyday life. Ad hominem, begging the question, false cause, bandwagon, post hoc ergo, either or, and false analogy are just a few of the many types of rhetorical fallacies. There are three sections of fallacy that are used; pathos, egos, and logos which each appeal to a different thing. Ethos is an appeal to ethics and convinces someone of the credibility of the persuader. Pathos is an appeal to emotion and convinces an audience by means of an emotional reaction. Lastly, Logos is an appeal to logic and uses reason to persuade an audience. The easiest method to use is pathos, the one that creates an emotional response. The most common use of pathos is bandwagon appeal. Bandwagon appeal is defined as an argument that people think is valid due to the majority of people accepting it. Bandwagon appeal is used all the time, especially in the media, in sports, and in politics.

To start with bandwagon is mainly influenced by promoting items through the use of commercials, billboards and other forms of advertising. Technology is tremendously influenced by the use of bandwagon appeal. Without using bandwagon, Apple wouldn’t be selling nearly as many iPhones as they do now. The sole reason most people buy iPhones is because everyone around them has one. This is how bandwagon is associated with the number of iPhone sales. From source CBS, in 2010, Apple’s advertising expenses were six-hundred and ninety-one million dollars. The next year, 2011, they spent nine hundred and thirty-three million dollars on advertising. In 2012, Apple finally reached one billion dollars for money spent on advertising. Now there are reports that Apple has made the decision to disclose the amount of money they spend on advertising. From this research, it is evident that it takes money to make money.

Another great form of bandwagon appeal is found in sports where competition is a huge factor and winning is the main goal. There are several people who watch the super bowl every year. There are even people who watch the super bowl who wouldn’t typically watch football at all. The reason for this is because the super bowl is more than just football. The super bowl includes hilarious commercials, parties, bets made with friends, and halftime live performances. Most people watch the super bowl because their friends and family watch it and to win money by picking a team that they think will win which makes it a form of bandwagon appeal. Another form of bandwagon appeal in sports is bandwagon fans or fans that change their favorite team based on the number of wins or losses that team has. There are ten successful teams that are filled with tons of bandwagon fans. The first team is the Seattle Seahawks, which didn’t have a lot of Northwest fans until recently and gained more attention when they participated in the 2017 super bowl. The second team is the Chicago Blackhawks who have two successful players that have made their team very popular such as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The third team full of bandwagon fans are the Atlanta Hawks for basketball because of their wins. The fourth team is the Toronto Blue Jays for baseball because of the players that were added to the team through deals and who have made them the expert’s favorite to win the World Series. The fifth team is the Florida Gators football team because there are so many fans. The sixth is the Texas Rangers because of their pitcher Cole Hamels which is originally from the Philadelphia Phillies. The seventh team is Notre Dame football fans who have appeared since they’ve started creeping up into the national title picture. The eighth team is Miami Heat basketball whose fans who turned their backs on them after a defeat to the San Antonio Spurs. The ninth team is the Arizona Cardinals whose bandwagon fans were brought on by their new coach Bruce Arians. The last team is the Chicago Cubs baseball team because they haven’t won a World Series since 1908 or made it to a Fall Classic since 1945. These teams listed are just a few examples of the many teams with bandwagon fans, sports are, after all, the most common place to find a bandwagon.

The third example of bandwagon appeal is found in politics. It is the number one source for political candidates to get their name out and to gain votes to win their spot in an election. President Donald Trump spent sixty-six million dollars of his own money on his presidential campaign, which was less than what Hillary Clinton spent at an amount of one point two billion dollars for her campaign. Another example of bandwagon in politics is people voting for a political candidate based on their popularity and because everyone around them is voting for the specific person, not because they have the same political views and opinions. An example of this is the number of minority voters who voted for Obama in 2008 because their families were voting for him and because he was the first African American to run for presidential office. Of the thirteen percent of African Americans who actually took part in the vote, ninety-three percent of them were voting for Obama.

In conclusion, there are all sorts of bandwagon fans and bandwagon appeals used in today’s time. Whether it be in media and technology, sports, or politics most people are guilty of being bandwagons and don’t even realize it. Liking the same things as other people and following the crowd is always going to be around because it is simply human nature. Being on a “bandwagon” means that someone can be open-minded and not just one-sided, therefore isn’t something to be completely ashamed of. Bandwagon is commonly known in sports but is most influential to people’s everyday life.