Nicholas Carr's How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds

Nicholas Carr, author of “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds”, argues that smartphones serve as a distraction to us and could easily divert our attention away. Carr supports his argument by using statistical evidence that he received based off of different group of students, credible sources to support his claim, and abstract diction when giving his explanation. Firstly, Carr uses statistical evidence to strengthen his claim. “A 2015 Journal of Experimental Psychology study found that when people’s phones beep or buzz while they’re in the middle of a challenging task, their focus wavers, and their work gets sloppier — whether they check the phone or not.” He retrieved evidence from a valid source which heavily supports his claim. The evidence that he used is on a study that was tested on actual people and the results show that whenever their phone sends off a notification, their attention diverts and their work quality lowers drastically. This backs up his claim to why smartphones hijack our minds since he was able to provide the proof to how it does. Secondly, Carr uses credible sources to support his claim. The author uses the method of providing evidence and data multiple times throughout his essay and along with that, he attaches strong sources of where he got the information from.

He uses these words to describe what goes on in the brain or how the brain reacts when someone has a smartphone. Using this kind of diction helps the audience understand what he is saying and makes it easier for him to convey his thoughts clearly. Also, using an abstract diction improves the quality of his writing which would significantly appeal to the audience. If the writing quality is great and the style is unique, then the audience would more than likely want to read what the author is trying to