In the article “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds,” Nicholas Carr explains how the smartphone has a very strong influence on the minds and lives of the people who use them. Throughout the article, Carr uses rhetorical devices such as strong diction, establishing credibility of sources, personal connections, and statistics to support his argument throughout the article. These help strengthen and support his argument by giving detailed examples of his own experiences, drawing from studies to support his claim, connecting with the reader, and referencing credible and commonly known sources.
Nicholas Carr labels his sources to build credibility and support his argument. For example, Carr expresses “So you bought that new iPhone. If you’re like
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He states “We love our phones for good reasons. It’s hard to think of another product that has provided so many useful functions in such a handy form.” By using words such as “we” and “handy” Carr creates something akin to casual conversation with the reader. Eliciting this diction includes him into the topic showing that he too uses smartphones and relates to the reader, forming trust and catching the reader’s attention. Along with this, Carr creates more of a personal connection by starting a factual statement with “So,” using phrases such as “using it some eighty times,” and using words to refer to the reader like “you’re” and “you.” This casual diction builds a connection between Carr and the reader, making Carr direct the reader’s attention to the topic as well as build trust with the reader through tactful wording. Then he expresses “Their extraordinary usefulness gives them unprecedented hold on our attention and a vast influence over our thinking and behavior.” In this statement, Carr uses strong, hyperbolic, diction, such as “extraordinary” and “unprecedented,” to represent his claim in an eye-catching manner and to show how strongly he must feel about smartphones and their impact on those who use them. Overall, Carr uses strong and casual diction to appeal to the …show more content…
He communicates “ If you’re like the typical owner, you’ll be pulling your phone out and using it some 80 times a day, according to the data Apple collects.” Carr uses this detail to support his argument by elaborating how often the average iPhone user takes out their phone in a day and how it seems as though the average consumer cannot go a day without checking their phone several times. He also affirms “‘The mere presence of mobile phones,’ the researchers reported in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, ‘inhibited the development of interpersonal closeness and trust’ and diminished ‘the extent to which individuals felt empathy and understanding from their partners.’” Carr uses this fact to support his argument by showcasing an example of how smartphones change and influence their users lives just by being present within a situation. Accompanying this, Carr elaborates “In another study, published in Applied Cognitive Psychology this year, researchers examined how smartphones affected learning in a lecture class with 160 students at the University of Arkansas in Monticello. They found that students who didn’t bring their phones to the classroom scored a full letter grade higher on a test of the material presented than those who brought their phones. It didn’t matter whether
Thesis: Twenge effectively uses emotional appeals to persuade her readers into believing that the excessive use of smartphones has ruined a generation.
How important is your smartphone to you? In “How Smartphones Hijack our Mind” the author Nicholas Carr uses rhetorical devices such as strong word choices, statistics, and syntax to convey his opinion on smartphones. He also uses some negative consequences.
That is what a smartphone represents to us.” This example shows us how smartphones are so important in our lives. They are intertwined in everything that we do to make our lives easier. Also, another immensely effective example is when he said “Some of the students were asked to place their phones in front of them on their desks; others were told to stow their phones in their pockets or handbags; still others were required to leave their phones in a different room.” This is an example of how well kids take tests when smartphones are involved or not involved. They did this to see if it would affect their concentration with the text if their phones were in the desk in their bag or not even in the room at all. A third example is then he says “...insight sheds light on society’s current gullibility crisis, in which people are all too quick to credit lies and half-truths spread through social media. If your phone has sapped your powers of discernment, you’ll believe anything it tells you.” This example shows how much the inventors of these smart devices and social media know that they are having a negative effect on us but do nothing about it. They know that they are taking out ability to tell what is true and what is true and what
Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones are so psychologically powerful that they don't only change what we do, they change who we are.Our phones
In the article, “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation,” Jean M. Twenge uses rhetorical devices and appeals to build her credibility on how smartphones are destroying this generation's teenagers. The author presents several pieces of evidence to prove she’s correct, and shows how teenagers of this generation think and behave differently than their predecessors.
Today, phones play a major role in individuals. In “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds,” Nicholas Carr uses straightforward diction, studies, and figurative language such as, personification to reveal that individuals are powerless without their phones. Throughout the reading he explained how the brain grows dependent on phone technology, the intellect weakens.
Smart phones have become such an important part in our lives that we lose focus with or without them. When they’re in the palms of our hands we can’t seem to stop using it; when we don’t have
Murphy’s essay tries to convince the reader that cell phones are limiting and distracting. He compared
In the article "Our Cell Phones, Ourselves," by Christine Rosen, she explains the dependency on cell phone use while highlighting unforeseen consequences that may occur with cellular device use. From allowing parents to track down their children, to having a casual conversation with a friend, cell phones offer people an unparalleled level of convenience. Furthermore, cell phone owners feel much safer knowing that in an emergency, help is just a phone call away. This convenience, however, does not come without any negative effects. Many cell phone owners become too engrossed in their phones and therefore ignore the physical world, an idea that Rosen refers to as "absent presence.” Also, people may use their phones as a way to prove they are
“More than three billion people worldwide now use the internet (Time), and 80 percent of them access if from their smartphones” (Smart Insights). A smartphone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, and much more. There is an abundant amount of smartphone brands out there in the world and while they all cost different prices, they all perform the same job. Each person uses their smartphone for various reasons, whether it’s for work or to make calls or texts. Smartphones have changed society in various ways, both good and bad. Although countless individuals think that smartphones have ruined American society, smartphones have actually benefited society because of more safety precautions, information on hand, and entertainment.
In “How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds” by Nicholas Carr, Carr communicates many subjects and information on how smartphones have a great impact on the human mind. Carr uses many rhetorical devices to get his message across and inform the readers of the negative effects of smartphones. At last, some of the rhetorical devices, strategies, and tools that Carr used was facts like statistics, imagery, and he also presented anthesis. However, he has many more strategies and tools ,but this are the main ones that made Carr’s points clearer and more informative. He used this rhetorical devices, strategies, and tools very well and they backed up his point in a sturdy manner and made it clear for the reader to understand the main idea.
In the article “How Smartphones Hijacked Minds,” Nicholas Carr tells how people are so consumed with their cell-phones that it takes them away from living life and taking care of simple tasks, that can be done under the matter of minutes. Nicholas Carr explains how smartphones can hijack and destroy minds from functioning like it usually does by using rhetorical devices such as inclusive language, description and examples within his essay to prove his point. Nicholas Carr utilizes inclusive language several times throughout his essay. Inclusive language is a rhetorical piece which means to include all of mankind. “We love our phones for good reason.
Electronic devices are consuming the lives of everyday people. Everywhere you look someone will be locked in staring at their phone screen, unaware of what’s happening around him or her. Electronic devices have become a daily necessity for people. Electronic devices are a controversial topic today. While some believe that electronic devices are harmful, others believe these devices benefit society. In, “A Thing Like Me,” Nicholas Carr brings up the extent on which humans depend on devices. The dependence on electronic devices has consequences. The consequences that come from electronic devices are in takes away from face to face communication, the devices cause distractions when driving which can lead to serious injuries or even death. Electronic devices also have changed the way of learning, people no longer feel the need to learn when typing a question into Google gives people the answer. Electronic devices are a part of society and can cause negative impacts in peoples lives everyday. People do not realize the consequences that electronic devices bring into their
Even though many people agree that the iPhone has changed the way we live, many may not realize just how MUCH the iPhone has changed things. In the 2017 article How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds by Nicholas Carr of the Wall Street Journal, readers are given some very eye-opening information regarding the possibly impending epidemic of human addiction to cellular devices. In this article, Carr attempts to explain the hidden side affects of increased smartphone use, and the dependencies that they invoke in the human mind. From Carr’s point of view, smartphones decrease our ability to remember important information, and they also play a big role in the decreasing willingness of people to communicate face to face. Carr starts off his article with a statement that describes the actions of most modern Americans, which is: “So you bought that new iPhone.
Blacker (2006) discusses how researchers from the Henley Management College interviewed people about their mobile phone usage and almost half of a study group of men and women in their twenties and thirties revealed that they "could not live without" their mobile phone.