The Banality of Rhetoric

Thoughts on an AI-Propelled Rhetorical Economy

Bibliographic Data

ID22414818
AuthorsZhaozhe Wang (0000-0001-6608-7530, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-14
Publication date2026-03-18
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueRhetoric Society Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0277-3945 • E-ISSN: 1930-322X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02773945.2026.2635968
OpenAlexW7138885099
LanguageEN
References cited26

As disembodied, synthetic rhetoric increasingly supplants affective, intentional, and contingent rhetoric in circulating rhetorical capital, generating value, and distributing communicative labor, rhetorical economies are being redefined by what I call the banality of rhetoric: the normalization and invisibility of mechanized, indifferent, instrumental discourse— algorithmically optimized for velocity and virality yet stripped of accountability. I begin by examining how the operational logics of artificial intelligence (AI) reshape the intentionality and temporality of rhetorical production. I then turn to the technical dimensions of this transformation, including the datafication of affect, the exploitation and redistribution of communicative labor, and the concentration of rhetorical capital. Finally, I elaborate on what it means for rhetoric to become banal in AI-charged digital publics. Ultimately, I argue that ambient AI infrastructures do not merely mediate rhetorical circulation but actively create economies that enable already powerful actors to capitalize on banality and further extract rhetorical value.

Civil discourse · Rhetoric · Rhetorical device · Rhetorical question · Digital Education and Society · Digital Media and Philosophy · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI

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