Twenge work on effects of Smartphones
Introduction
Generational change and technological discoveries has played a pivotal role in changing the lifestyle and teen transitional period of current teenagers. More specific, the introduction of mobile gargets has completely changed the experience and the growth cycle of children. Jean M. Twenge analysis comparative changes brought about by the adoption of mobile phones. She looks at the millennial age and compares the transitional with the so called ‘iGen’. Her analysis ranges between children born before and after 1996. These two age groups allow her to assess how technology has affected the current children’s life-cycle. She gives a detailed narrative of the life that the children in the yester days used to live and the aspect they passed through in different ages. Her focus is on aspects that can be and are affected by technology. According to hers article, smartphones have diluted the social connection and the social interaction. It has devoured family ties and increased suicide cases amon the current generation. Nevertheless, it has reduced accident cases as well as immorality associated with teen groupies. This article evaluates Twenge work on effects of Smartphones. We look at different rhetorical statements used by this author to pass her message. The article further looks at how well she
Types of strategies
Comparison and contrast
In an article, comparison and contrast are used in showing different aspect pertaining specific topics. According to scholars, the two strategies allow authors to inform, persuade, and emphasis of the superiority of certain aspects comparatively to the other. Twenge profoundly uses contrast in her work to show the change in time and the effects of technology to teenagers. The article is about the effects of smartphones to current generation. This means that for an effective theme attainment, the author must apply contrast in a large proportion. Contrast can either be in form of statistical difference or statement difference. Twenge uses both to bring out her message.
One of the ways that contrast strategy has aided to twenge’s arguments is that it has provided factual proof of the difference in lifestyle and way of life of the two generation. For instance, the author states that in the in the year between 2009 and 2010 the amount of people with smartphones suppressed 50% (pg. 3). In addition she frequently uses statistical comparison to show how technology (phones) has aided to the destructive of the current social life of teenagers. ” …..those who spend six to nine hours a week on social media are still 47 percent more likely to say they are unhappy than those who use social media even less” “Teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide, such as making a suicide plan” (pg. 8)
The reason this strategy is more impactful on this article is the fact that this paper is more of investigative research. The aim of the article is to determine the effects of smartphones to teenagers. For this reason, is expected that the author will compare and contrast different time lines to attain more elaborate information. This rhetorical statement appeals to logos. This is because contrast is able to instill logic and reason to a person. A logic of understanding that smartphones has affected teenagers in different manners. It has also provided proof in terms of statistics of the impacts of the smartphones.
Narrative
To a great extent, twenge applies narrative in attempts to draw the audience into visualizing the differences that exist between the former and latter generational recreational activities. By definition, narrative is forms of story-telling of past events. In the early generation narrative were uses as aspect that attracted people to the narrator’s story. It moreover, provided a platform where, the narrator would use the narrative to educate and inform people. They can also be a recount of past events that cement the narrator’s message. In twenge’s article, this mode of writing has been used to bring out different aspects.
Narrative allows the readers to recount of the way people use to operate and do different activities. Twenge in a conversational scenario with Athena narrates how during her time as a 13 year old would ‘enjoy parent free hours shopping’ with her friends.
By the use of narrative the audiences are able to see the difference in the way things were done in the past. She further uses this aspect to educate the audience of the vises that were prominent in the early years. ” in the year 1970s……….a shirtless teen stands with a large bottle of peppermint schnapps stuck in the waistband of his jeans” pg. 3. Through this recount, the audience can view the immoral aspect in the early days.
By the use of these narratives, twenge is able to properly educate and compare the two times. She adopts this strategy to illustrate that there is a huge generation gap between teens of the yester year and those that are currently being raised. in the yester years, teens used to maneuver around on their own and indulge in different aspects that were not parent controlled. To show the existence of different time and ways of doing thing twenge needed a strategy that would be able to quote exact difference of the two periods. Narrative has given her the best media to properly communicate. Without this rhetorical strategy she would not have fully been able to communicate her ideals in a comprehensive manner.
In her entire article the author has concentrated in logos as her rhetorical appeal. This is the use of logic to illustrate and point out different aspects. By use of logic, the audience is able to use the narrative to conclude on the best time to life and why even if the author does not give her stand on the issue.
Rhetorical question
Rhetorical questions are designed to allow the author concentrate on one aspect and analyze that particular question. In most cases it gives the audience a platform to follow the argument and deduce whether the question has been fully answered. Oftentimes, this rhetorical statement is used when an author wants to emphasize or persuade people to see his/her argument from the author’s perspective. The use of rhetorical question has allowed twenge to develop an inquisitive notion to the audience. According to her, something went wrong in the year 2012 that caused there to be a dramatic shift in the in teenage behaviors. “What happened in 2012 to cause such dramatic shifts in behavior?” (pg.3). from this statement twenge seeks to identify why there were this changes and how the change has affected the current generation.
The application of rhetorical question has allowed twenge to seek answers to what was the cause of the change in behavior. She starts off by identifying the changes that were seen. According to a research, the teen is the current generation is more isolated. Compared to the teens of the 1990’s the current generation is more into technology than socializing. According to the questionnaires given to most of the iGen phones are more intertwined with their lives. We are exposed to different various discoveries as a result of the rhetorical question asked.
Rhetorical questions appeal to both logos and pathos. Through mode of writing we are exposed to different emotions as well as logic. In the logos perspective, the author deduces the cause of the shift of behavior. According to twenge it is logic to conclude that is more teen are glued to their phones chances are that their social lives will be affected. Additionally, pathos is used to appeal to emotional state. Through twenge’s answer to the rhetorical question, we are told of the present increased suicidal cases. From the article the suicide cases have increased compared to the last decade. In the year 2015 an approximate 67% girls experienced depression compared to 2010 (p. g 10).
Conclusion
Conclusively, it can be argued that twenges article is both enlightening and catchy. She is able to apply the three rhetorical statements to captivate the audience and in the process educate. To her audience, the article is intriguing since it gives a detailed account of the changes in behaviors. It is important to note the big changes that have been availed by smartphones, the breakage of social ties that bonds children to parents. Twenge vividly bombards the society with the nasty truth. Technology may have some positive elements but comparatively, it has enslaved many of our teenagers and changes the perception of families. If people do not change their discernment on smartphones in few years’ times’ technology will have destroyed our youths.