Rhetorical Analysis On Is Facebook Making Us Lonely

Even though Sherry Turkle and Stephen Marche share the same claim of technology causing loneliness, Marche uses statistics of the dropping number of confidants to explain his point in a superior manner compared to Turkle’s worrisome evidence of technology destroying conversation. Sherry Turkle, Director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, gave a speech in 2012 titled “Connected, but Alone?” She spoke about how social media is deterring people from having conversations face to face. With the absence of in person conversations, people are losing the intimacy of the interaction. Similarly, Stephen March wrote an article in 2012 titled “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” Along with shocking examples of social media’s influence on society,

At the very beginning of her article, Sherry Turkle, express betrayal as she reflects on her past views of technology in regards to her current opinion. This creates an atmosphere that emphasizes the issue, she claims to be rampant. Turkle also provides many examples of children sitting next to each other texting, thereby painting technology as an enemy that is consuming children. She then transitions into her main point of technology causing people to cease intimate interaction with the “goldilocks effect.” (5:51-5:52) Since she is explaining to her audience how technology is rendering conversation obsolete, this is also concerning to her audience. Turkle’s next point is introduced with the quote “I’d rather text than talk.” (9:01-9:03) Not only is this an unusual opinion, but it is also demonstrating an addiction to artificial conversation. This thus shocks the audience and conveys her main method of convincing her audience of her point. Throughout her speech, Turkle employs fear and shock to influence and sway her audience into her

Marche’s headline, first paragraph, and writing style all are purposed to hook the reader. His headliner is, “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” This question not only engages the audience, but it also causes the reader to seek the answer to the question. He follows this question with a story of a minor celebrity found dead and mummified in her house. It is then brought to the reader’s attention that the lady’s last social experience was with her fans. This is one of the many hooks that Marche utilizes. Marche also uses statistics to convince his audience by demonstrating that he has support to his argument. Surveys say that the number of personal confidants people had dropped from 1985 to 2004 by .86. March continues to write, “Similarly, in 1985, only 10 percent of Americans said they had no one with whom to discuss important matters, and 15 percent said they had only one such good friend. By 2004, 25 percent had nobody to talk to, and 20 percent had only one confidant.” This evidence establishes for the reader that loneliness is an issue that has been worsening year by year. Marche includes these statistics to notify his readers that the rising rates of loneliness are not merely his opinion. His audience is thereby reassured with the inclusion of data on the