Rhetorical Strategies

919 Words2 Pages

In the articles “Alone in the Crowd” and “As technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse?,” Michael Price and Tim Wu, respectively acknowledge the effects of technological advances. While both Price and Wu used effective rhetorical strategies in their articles, one presented their argument in a more effective manner. Wu effectively convinces his audience that as a society we continue to advance technologically, but for the wrong reasons. Price references an interview with Sherry Turkle, to convey his opinion that the social media frenzy consumes our society. Price and Wu both present their point of view, but Wu had more factual information to justify his opinion. The appeal to emotion was stronger in Price’s article; however, in this situation …show more content…

This article is filled with effective rhetorical strategies. He references the story of the Oji-Cree people. They were nomads who relied on very little technology. That was until the nineteen-sixties, when technology was brought to them. For the first time in history they had engines and electricity. On the bright side there is no threat of dying in the winter due to starvation; however obesity and diabetes are running rampant throughout the population. This raises the question of whether the technology caused more harm than good. This question is still relevant to our society today, which is why it is rhetorically effective. Technology allows us to be lazy as a society which brings up health problems. He presents this story to “warn” our society, “The problem with technological evolution is that it is under our control and unfortunately, we do not always make the best decisions.” He furthers his point by saying that we are “comfort-seeking missiles.” This makes the reader reflect on themselves to see if they have fallen victim. All of these examples prove that Wu is rhetorically effective in his …show more content…

Throughout the interview personal anecdotes along with a vision for the future are brought about. Turkle explains the story of a 15 year old at a birthday party as, being able “to be elsewhere at any point in time” This is rhetorically effective because it causes the intended audience (young adults) to remember when they were 15 and did not have their phone to pull out during a party. Turkle brings up people who “friend” people on Facebook that they do not even know. It is a great point; however, I think that along with “not knowing the nature of their connection,” there is also a security problem. Using the idea of personal security would make this argument more rhetorically effective. Another point that Turkle brings up that is rhetorically effective is how always being on our phones reduces intimacy. She talks about how people always text no matter where they are which impairs their relationships with their friends and family. The next rhetorically effective part of this essay is when they discuss how social media and technology are hindering our ability to be able to be alone. When someone is never alone they do not know how to handle a situation of where they might be alone. Finally, Turkle speaks briefly speaks about a vision she has for the future. She hopes that young people who see the problem with people being consumed

Open Document