write the review
Last Name
First Last
Teacher Name
Class Name
Due Date
Technology’s Pitfalls & Power of Persuasion
Does technology have a dark side? McNamee and Rushkoff argue that it does. Frontline’s “Generation Like” and Roger McNamee’s article, “I Invested Early in Google & Facebook, Now I Regret It,” highlight the debate surrounding the powerhouse that is modern technology and the ways in which people, particularly teenagers today, are affected. While the film showcases the lives of real teens duped by technology brand marketing, the article dupes the figures themselves, arguing that their sole interest is to make money, even if that means at the expense of vulnerable teenagers. With the use of pathos, ethos, and logos, this paper will showcase how using different genres in these two works, persuade an audience similarly and differently, with both similar and dissimilar effects in delivery.
Logos, a rhetorical device that relies on the use of emotion to persuade and convey a particular point, was used extensively in the film episode, “Generation Me.” Right away, the viewer witnesses Rushkoff stating, “The problem as I see it, is what are companies doing to our kids through technology and how can they and we be made more aware of it?” (Frontline). Stating this as a question, Rushkoff is deliberately asking the audience to engage in what is being said. Logos relies on logical reasoning or persuasion by getting people to think for themselves. This is effective because he is instilling a sort of mob mentality to get people worked up about an issue. He is asking the question as if the issue is a certain problem, as if there is certainly, definitely an issue, as opposed to leaving it open for interpretation. In doing so, by presenting it as a problem and immediately forcing the audience to think about what can be done, it really circumvents the steps for the audience to consider whether or not it is a problem to begin with at all. It makes the audience directly assume it's a problem that is worth getting worked up about. This causes them to immediately start brainstorming solutions to the problem that they were told exists. It is effective because of how deeply manipulative it is.
Similarly, McNamee’s quote, “I am terrified by the damage being done by these Internet monopolies” (McNamee) relies on personal experience and logos to persuade the message that internet companies are monopolistic. He appeals to ethos by persuading the reader to find out more, as he has not believed why this title of companies being monopolistic is so. Additionally, the use of the word “terrified” (McNamee) showcases his appeal to pathos, in that it is a strong emotional word, intriguing to people on an emotional level, since it is compared to something so negative by an author who once benefited from the success of the company he is critiquing. In both the logos and pathos examples, the viewer can see that the men wanted to get the audience to think, and to think for themselves in order to become effectively persuaded.
In McNamee’s case, he does not give the reader a chance to disagree as to whether or not the big tech companies are monopolistic. He assumes that the viewer will share the same belief, which sets up the reader to do just that. This stating opinion as fact is the use of ethos which Rushkoff also applies, as will be discussed shortly. Additionally, calling big tech “monopolies” also applies pathos just as well, because it is shocking to have someone so close to the company say something so harshly. To deem the companies so harshly would inflict a sense of urgency and concern based on the author’s word choice. Since the negative remarks are coming from someone so closely related to the company, the audience would be intrigued to find out more. He is presenting himself as a leading figure that directly benefits from the success of the company, cautioning people against what is an everyday consumption (all that the company provides).
Although pathos is not as strategically incorporated by Rushkoff in the film as it is in the article by McNamee, another similarity between the two is the use of ethos, or credibility, to further persuade the audience. For example, Rushkoff states, “I’ve been speaking at events like this for more than twenty years…so people turn to me for answers” (Frontline). This quote is compared to McNamee’s, which states, “Borrowing techniques from the gambling industry, Facebook, Google, and others exploit human nature” (McNamee). In Rushkoff case, he is deliberately stating his credentials to gain credibility in the area of technology and teenage marketing strategy. By stating that he has been doing this for more than twenty years among other credits, Rushkoff is creating a sense of credibility, and is appealing to concerned parties because it shows that the speaker is a go-to source for information, and has years of experience in the industry. In this way, he is telling his audience that he is the best person to go to for information on changes in technology, and how it has affected people over two decades. In McNamee’s case he is stating an opinion as fact, to give off the illusion to the reader that he knows exactly what he is talking about.
As effective as this may be to people like concerned parents and educators, it is ineffective to tech companies and business minded people watching the film, as they may consider McNamee and Rushkoff both, to just be ordinary people trying to turn a profit. They might think they are just additional people trying to sell books and talks and are instead framing the big tech companies as the bad guys to make it look like they have all information that is valuable to audiences that are already skeptical of tech giants. In McNamee’s case, he is stating opinions as if they are fact, claiming (based on some undefined authority—-and this is where falsified ethos comes into play) that big technology companies like Google and Facebook rely on gamboling strategies to track data and make money. There is no reason for this to be asserted as fact, yet he does so specifically to get the reader to automatically think he must know what he is talking about. This is persuasion via ethos.
Moreover, this is effective persuasion because the author is piling on more claims, and given that readers concerned with digital privacy are already viewing technology in a negative light, these comments are effectively persuasive because they give the reader more samples as to why they need to be afraid. They reiterate and confirm the audience’s fears. At the same time, McNamee’s quote is not effective. In terms of persuading investors, this opinion crafted as fact is not convincing to people like investors who rely primarily on statistics and numbers to confirm their information. This also applies to business-minded individuals. The business world is also more concerned with making money, so the lack of statistics, game theory, etc, may make this point irrelevant to those groups of people. Both McNamee and Rushkoff are guilty of stating opinions as facts as indicated in the earlier quotes.
Frontline’s approach to appealing to their audience is very different from the approach that McNamee takes to appeal to his. Frontline allows the viewers to come to their own conclusions yet under the lens of Rushkoff’s belief that technology is exploiting teenagers. The film also shows real life experiences of teenagers and their opinions of needing “likes” to feel empowered. McNamee comes at his argument from the angle that technology breeds addiction and exploitation, using statistics and studies to support his points. The lack of pathos driven content in McName’s approach is why “Generation Like” was more effective. It is human nature to be responsive to emotions, so the lack of pathos appeal made a big difference in the effectiveness of his piece compared to the film’s.
It is important for people to be aware of the tactics that others use to convince them of things. Without being mindful of these strategies, even those with adverse opinions may not even notice that they disagree with something that has been said. Rhetoric applies to the marketing world of advertising and just as big companies may be exploiting teens, people are exploited everyday by manipulative twists of others’ opinions. Effective persuasion is everywhere and by tuning into it, one can figure out what it is they actually think and stop relying so heavily and often unintentionally, on what others tell them to be true.
Works Cited
Frontline. “Generation Like.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/generation-like/.
McNamee, Roger. “I Invested Early in Google & Facebook. Now I Regret It.” RealClearPolitics, www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/08/08/1_invested_early_in_google_amp_facebook_now_i_regret_it_417723.html.