Rhetorical Analyisis Essay Final draft PDF

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Summary The article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, by the American phycologist Jean M. Twenge, was about whether or not smartphones have destroyed todays teen generation. The article stated many facts, such as the increase in psychological vulnerability among teenagers. Twenge’s article also had numerous data collections regarding the main topic and why it could be true. Due to the release of the 2007 iPhone; a drop-in dating, sleep time and sexual activity among teens was seen from a data collection the author conducted. Although the release of the iPhone correlates directly with the drops in different types of performances, she makes it clear that this is not the only thing that can affect these behaviors. The author interviewed a thirteen-year-old girl, Athena, throughout the entire article. This was so we could see an actual teenagers point of view on smartphones and what role it plays in her day-to-day life. Athena had much to say about her phone and how much she uses it. When Athena and her friends get together, they are always on their phones and rarely interact with each other. She states that, “[she thinks they] like [their] phones more than [they] like actual people.” Athena also mentions that her and her generation “didn’t have a choice to know any life without iPads or iPhones.” Twenge came to the conclusion that restricting technology overall would be almost impossible, considering that even toddlers are using iPads and other types of electronics. However, some restrictions on how long teens are to spend with technology would make a significant difference in reducing harmful habits. Analysis Ever since the smartphone was introduced in the late 90’s, individuals have become more and more dependent on it, along with its assets. This is especially seen among today’s teen generation. Jean M. Twenge wrote an article, that was published in The Atlantic called, “Have

Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”. Twenge’s well written article was tremendously effective because she used factual information from data studies that she conducted and the issues she speaks about are immensely relatable, especially among teens. To start off the article, Twenge interviewed a thirteen-year-old girl, Athena. By doing this, the article became more approachable to the teen generation. If a different thirteen-year-old were to read this article he or she would be more intrigued because someone their age is putting their two cents in. I definitely think this is an essential part of the article that adds credibility (ethos) and relatability (pathos). People who were born anywhere from nineteen-ninety-five to twentytwelve Twenge calls the “iGen.” She believes that this generation has been shaped by their smartphones and social media accounts. Twenge then went into stating that she has noticed various shifts in the behavior and emotional states of teens. These shifts were recognized when more than fifty percent of Americans owned a smartphone. It became prevalent that “where there are cell towers, there are teens living their lives on their smartphones.” This statement definitely rings true because I have seen it first-hand. Everywhere I go, the people around me are on their phones. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and many more social media sites are being used frequently in one’s day-to-day life. This leads to more screen time one has in their day. In the article, it is said that too much screen time can lead to things like depression or suicidal thoughts. Around twenty-eleven, the rates of depression and suicide skyrocketed and Twenge traces those numbers to the smartphone. Although Twenge recognizes that screen time is not the only cause for these illnesses, it is definitely one of them. Moreover, the frequent use of smartphones and laptops have made teens more psychologically vulnerable than ever before. It was also said that teens are now physically safer than ever, which is not hard to believe. This is because many teens that I know would definitely

rather stay in and watch Netflix or scroll through Instagram rather than go out and socially interact with others. The sad truth is that teens are way too comfortable in their bedroom or in their house to go out. This has changed so much when compared to previous generations. A study was conducted about dating in high-school and the results were as I would have predicted. This study was done in twenty-fifteen with current high-schoolers and the generation of babyboomers. Fifty-six percent of current high-schoolers went on dates compared to eighty-six percent of baby-boomers. In the nineteen forty’s and sixty’s it was much more common to go out on dates. Now-a-days teenagers will just text each other or communicate over social media rather than actually meeting up and going somewhere fun. Aside from the number of people dating dropping, the number of teens that hangout with their friends almost every day has also dropped. This number has dropped over forty percent between the years two-thousand and twenty-fifteen. Although teens are not getting together as often, they are much more likely to document their hangouts on social media. Again, even when they are with friends they are having to have screen time. Overall, I believe that Jean efficiently got her point across and made it pretty obvious that smartphones are harming this generation of teens in a couple different ways. Jean M. Twenge successfully conveyed her topic by the use of credible sources, accurate data and relatable information. Her use of statistical data and graphs immensely helped her audience get a true sense of the problem with smartphones and teens. Aside from the logical part of her article, Athena, the thirteen-year-old girl, definitely helped with the pathos part of her article. This is because if teens were to read it, they are more likely to emotionally connect with someone their age. Although there are many facts to support Twenge’s cause, she also realizes that smartphones are not the only cause to the conditions she mentioned, which definitely makes

Jean a more credible author. Twenge was very effective and got her point across in a clear, effective manner with intelligent material....