Working With The Tethered Analysis

As generations go by, our predecessors assume we are skipping out on important aspects of life just to get a few extra minutes on our devices. In Catherine Rampell’s “A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much”, it is said the older generations believe Generation Y is “coddled, disrespectful, narcissistic, and impatient” (Rampell 388). In all reality our generation is just doing what it has to in order to thrive in the world we live in, where technology is one of the largest parts of our everyday lives. If the older generations that criticize Generation Y had grown up in Generation Y they would realize the world we live in requires the use of technology. The advancement of society with technology has shaped Generation Y to be the people that they are, relying on technology; however, older generations believe Generation Y is lazy.

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.

Kids of this generation have many influences today that we didn’t have around when I was growing up. When I was growing up there was no social media and all this technology that our kids have

The Tethered Generation, written by Kathryn Tyler, a self-identified member of Generation X, published this article in HR Magazine, a magazine for HR Professionals. In this piece, Tyler elaborates on what she believes to be the most dependent generation to exist: Millennials. A “frequent contributor” to the publication as a freelance writer, she has quite the background in human resources and training, which reflects in the style of this particular article. In the beginning Tyler discusses the effect that tethering to technology, peers, and parents has had on this generation. Towards the end, she writes a sort of “how to” guide on dealing with those effects in the workforce, and how to make the transition into the workplace for those individuals (and other employees) as smooth as possible. Her thesis is evident in the beginning of the article. Tyler argues that because millennials are too attached to technology and dependent on other people that are close to them (like parents and peers), they lack the skills and traits that previous generations possessed, as well as autonomy, and in the process created an epidemic of very overbearing parents that may be too concerned and involved in the life of their children, which could be detrimental to the new young adult’s development of their professional life. This rhetorical analysis is going to dissect the writer’s use of logos, pathos, and ethos in her argument.

In “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” written by, the Psychology Doctor, Jean M. Twenge, she presents the results produced after twenty-five years of research (Twenge para3). Her research was carried out to understand the new generation and explain how it differs to the previous generations (Twenge para9). Although her style is indeed formal, she utilized a heavy amount of credentials, logos, emotional appeal and a factual tone, to enforces her appeal on the parents of the kids of this new generation. Furthermore, she underlays her stand on the topic throughout her analysis, rather than having a direct approach and states actual percentages to compare previous generations to the new one, which leads to a sense of validity. It is not until the very end, that she finally states her stand in a more direct sense, since she has now gained the trust of her audience.

Throughout Kathryn Tyler’s article, “The Tethered Generation,” she discusses the effects of technology and helicopter parents on the millennial generation. Tyler believes that technology has became an easy way for parents to continue to watch over their children as they age (Tyler 478). Tyler also says technology is helping oppressive parents continue to smother their children and that people in the millennial generation are not becoming adults in every aspect of life in the time frame they should be (478). An enormous factor of growing up is being able to make mistakes and figure out problems and solutions alone. This is being taken away by cellphones because young adults constantly have a lifeline to call or text, such as their parents who help solve their problems. As Kathryn Tyler explains in relatable ways throughout her article, technology and helicopter parents are a concerning issue for our future because they prevent young adults from gaining the necessary skills needed to become prominent and responsible adults.

So when the influences of technology are within the minds of our youth, it is nothing but expected for them to be influenced by it. For example, when a new trend takes place on the Internet students begin to follow it like the Tide Pod challenge that took place at the beginning of the year. When this challenge started students everywhere began participating in a dangerous event thought youth was just something for fun. However, other students are using technology and media for the benefit of things. The students from Parkland, Florida used technology to speak out against and bring awareness for gun violence. Although there is much controversy from this event, it still shows that technology can be used for

During Kathryn Tyler’s first section she talks about how millennials are connected and how the connectivity of technology has changed our generation. One of her first points in this section was about how students today are able to talk with their parents while away from college, “Now, students may be going across the country, but they call their parents on the cell phone three to five times per day” (Tyler 478). She really emphasizes the difference between the generation from today and the previous generation, “Years ago, most college dorm rooms had one land line, and, if parents were lucky, kids called home once a week” (478). Right away she stats facts of the generations are changing which gives the reader a very good a clear understand of how

With such a large percentage of teenagers involved with using the internet and social media platforms, they truly do have the world at their fingertips. It is true that this generation does not depend on fetching water, nor do the majority have to walk miles to school or other daily, laborious tasks. The advancement of technology has made modern American life extremely convenient. However, while our technology is improving, other things such as education and image, haunt this developing age group in a way previous generations never

The 21st century has been characterized by a workforce that has three generations, the baby boomers, the generation X and the millennial. As the baby boomers and the Generation X gradually bow out of the workforce, the millennial is increasingly joining the workforce at all levels including the leadership levels. However, the entry of the millennial who are technology natives having grown up in a technology society is causing a stir in the workplace.

Many people turn to their phones when they need a friend. Texting is how most people talk now these days and feel the most comfortable talking if they need a friend. I am one of those people that turn to my phone when I need a friend to talk to. In Sherry Turkle’s “Gowing Up Tethered”, a sixteen year-old girl says, “If I’m upset, right as I feel upset, I text a couple of my friends… just because I know that they’ll be there… So I definitely feel emotions when I’m texting… I’ll tell them what I’m feeling, and, like I need to talk to them, or see them” (433). Many people feel the exact same way that sixteen year-old girl feels. Constant phone checking is needed to make sure their friend on their phone replies. If someone doesn’t reply to a heartfelt

Society is always looking for a fresh argument for its people to debate over. The topic has circled to the idea that the newer generations are doomed when compared to the achievements of previous years. There is a worry that the new century is not up to par with history, based on the preconception that they have been less successful. In “Generation Doomed?” Eric Heisler utilizes allusions and juxtaposition to develop the idea that the current generation is not like how older generations have negatively credited it, but instead, they show positive change, development, and contrast from one another.

In September 2017, Jean M. Twenge articulates the development of generation “iGen” in the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”. The emphasis Twenge provides in the article directs to post-Millennials and how they are generally safer and cleaner than past generations have been. Twenge provides various enlightening details about generational problems and how they need improvement. Generation “iGen” is dependent of technology and uses it often compared to past generations. This generation has become powered by their smartphones; it has changed the way several people live today and has brought many individuals to a point of mental illness.

Secondly, Sinek explains that millennials have suffered disadvantages resulting from the older generations advancements in technology. He does this by analyzation of the impact which technology has on Millennials. According to Sinek, “An entire generation now has access to an addictive, numbing chemical called dopamine, through cell phones and social media, while they are going through the high stress of adolescence (Sinek, 2016.)” In making this comment, Sinek puts into perspective just how highly addictive technology and social media really is. He explains that just like highly addictive drugs, the use of these devices releases dopamine. In other words, acceptance on social media makes you feel good. By putting this into perspective, Sinek urges his

Technology has been involved in people’s lives forever, especially in the Millennial Generation. This generation consists of individuals born between the years of 1982-2004. The articles “The Flight From Conversation,” “Teens and Technology 2013,” and “Leading The Charge For Change” deals with teens interacting with technology today.Each article has different topics, but they connect through the over dependence of teens to technology. The Millennial Generation becomes less and less in touch with the real world and morphs into a quasi-reality.