Cilina Haddad

Writing 2
Zack De Piero
October 10, 2015
The Means in Which the Media Affects Society
Facebook has been the center of debates, with individuals arguing over the benefits it
offers and the harmful distresses it partakes. Multiple online news articles have published papers
that elaborate on how Facebook has taken a negative toll on individuals, affecting their social
lives and overall well-being. Articles written by sites like the Huffington Post, BBC News, and
Ecumenical News have published debatable articles that sprung controversy over whether
Facebooks damaging influence on society today outweighs the good it has to offer. Although
various types of articles of the same genre address similar topics through different arrangements,
they are formatted very similarly, convey the same purpose, and pertain to the same audience.
Online news articles are primarily used to inform their audience and educate them on
their given topic. Their purpose is to provide data such as facts, graphs, research findings, and
examples to persuade their readers that their argument holds true. Through analyzing the
rhetorical situation and context, it is evident the message that is being perceived is thoroughly
explained by describing how Facebook affects certain individuals of certain age ranges. For
example, Facebook may affect an adolescent differently than an adult in different contexts. These
news articles are particularly paying more attention to the younger generation, because
adolescents are still in the developing stage. According to the Huffington Post article, How
Facebook and Social Media Affect the Minds of Generation Next, by Jordan K. Turgeon, it was

evaluated that For teens, social networking is much like training wheels for life...They post
information and see how others react to it, learning as they go. Young kids and teens are
constantly being affected by social media through their social, educational, and mental lives,
which is primarily why they are the target audience. The tone of each piece ranges from
informative to persuasive to upsetting. The author of each article strives to educate the public on
why Facebook should be used to a certain extent. Through their use of pathos and logos, it
becomes evident that their convincing tone endeavors to reveal a serious conflict that needs
attention. In order to better understand the purpose of the rhetoric, one must be familiar with the
argument, and in addition, be aware of what the rhetor wants you to believe or do and how he
or she goes about the persuasion (Carroll 63). It is important to understand that the author was
determined to reveal to their audience: Facebook negatively impacts individuals.
Although each article contains different content, the formatting in all three sources
remain very similar. At the top of the page, the name of the news article is printed largely in bold.
Below it, because it is a nationwide-used site, are tabs to different sources. Examples include the
home page, video content, and content information. Below the tabs is the title of the article. The
title is usually bolded and displays the largest font in comparison with the rest of the page. Below
the title, the authors name and the date the article was published is shown. Sometimes,
depending on the article, an email address, a twitter emoji, or Facebook emoji is shown, which
will lead to the authors online profiles. This may stimulate, encourage, and invite a response,
which is known as exigence, through the authors social media accounts or email (Carroll 59-60).
Additionally if the article was recently updated after the published date, this will be shown right
above the title. Finally, the article begins. Most of the articles start out with a statement that a
study has discovered. This statement is usually used to draw the readers attention and persuade

them to continue to read the article. For example, in the article, Facebook use makes people
feel worse about themselves, by the BBC News, a statement is shown that stands firm to allow
the readers to create their own assumption on how they should perceive Facebook. It provides a
small insight on what exactly the article will discuss throughout the reading. This occurs
because, reader always need to know what is at stake in a text and why they should care
(Birkenstein and Graff 70). This small statement is used as a tactic to attract readers to the
problem. Throughout the article, images relating to certain statements will be displayed.
Additionally, each article provides different sources, such as a Professors findings, to create
credibility and trust between the author and their audience. For instance, in the article,
Facebook Can Negatively Affect Sense of Well-Being, Study Shows by Timothy Fowler, in
order to create trustworthiness, the author credited a psychologist by stating, On the surface,
Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social
connection, Ethan Koss, a social psychologist who led the work at the University of Michigan.
Later, the author quoted an, Internet psychologist Graham Jones, a member of the British
Psychological Society, who said, it confirms what some other studies have found there is a
growing depth of research that suggests Facebook has negative consequences. The article
published on BBC Newss webpage credited multiple reliable individuals to allow the audience
to trust and believe that the content being provided is accurate and factual. Articles that have to
persuade and educate their audience can build credibility through other foundations. Throughout
the article, videos are also displayed to further elaborate on a topic that might have been
ambiguous or misunderstood. The articles also separate different paragraphs to explain the
different aspects of an individuals life that Facebook may affect. For example, an article may
explain how Facebook affects an individual emotionally, another paragraph will elaborate how it

affects them mentally, and a third may explain how the social media site affects them
educationally. Finally, as the article come to a conclusion, near the bottom of the page, the site
may include other articles that are similar to the one read.
Although each of the three articles were similar in their content, the particular ways in
which they organized their information and what they chose to include differed. For example, the
Huffington Post started off their article with the problematic aspect Facebook imposes that is
associated with psychological disorders. They also introduced their topic with findings. Their
audience was more directed to adults, clearly parents, as it got into specifics on how to assist
children with taking a step away from using Facebook. Although most of their content was
directed in explaining why Facebook had many negatives, they counter argued some positives to
having a Facebook, such as its impact with virtual empathy, socializing, and building a greater
connection, which differed from the other sites. BBC News started off their article with a fact
and throughout the essay, they elaborated on that one fact. Through studies and surveys, the
articles main objective was to provide evidence and prove the statement was true. They also
linked the problems of Facebook to other situations such as texting, solitary activities, and faceto-face interactions. One interesting aspect to this particular paper was the Learning the Rules
section, where the author explained how to use and build off the platform. Finally, the article
published by Ecumenical News was a study-based article. In comparison with the other two
articles, this report was entirely based on explaining one study that was conducted to prove the
means in which Facebook affects the well-being of individuals. Their main source of credibility
was professionals from the University of Michigan, such as psychologists and scientists. This
article was essential to better understand the topic, because as opposed to briefly describing
multiple studies and surveys, this source allowed the audience to better understand the message

through a single clear and detailed study. All three articles were similar in providing great
sources of reliable credibility, and each site conducted at least one study to refer to which
described the topic explicitly.
Genres play a significant role in educating individuals about the right way of
formatting a paper or addressing a certain topic. There are numerous amounts of situations where
an individual must present a certain textural genre, so viewing different displays of textual genres
provides a layout and how-to tutorial. If you know how to subgroup different types of texts,
then you will be able to differentiate the purpose and the audience the author is attempting to
reach out to. By knowing and becoming familiar with the purpose, you will be able to figure out
the authors objective and why they wrote that piece. By distinguishing who the audience is, you
will be able to become better familiar with the text. Kerry Dirk in, Navigating Genres
emphasizes the importance by explaining, All genres matter because they shape our everyday
lives. And by studying the genres we find familiar, we start to see how specific choices that
writers make result in specific actions on the part of readers; it only follows that our own writing
must too be purposely written (Dirk 22). Studying genres is beneficial to individuals who are
required to become better acquainted with the familiarity of a particular piece. When studying
multiple examples within the same genre, with the same conventions being repeated, it becomes
much simpler to distinguish which ones are similar or formatted the same as the model example.

Bibliography
Carroll, Laura Bolin. "Backpacks to Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis." N.p.: n.p.,
c

n.d. 55-69. Print.

Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." N.p.: n.p., n.d. 17-29. Print.

"Facebook Use 'makes People Feel Worse about Themselves'" BBC News. N.p., 15 Aug.
b

2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Fowler, Timothy. "Facebook Can Negatively Affect Sense of Well-being, Study Shows."
B

Ecumenical News. N.p., 17 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Turgeon, Jordan K. "How Facebook And Social Media Affect The Minds Of Generation Next."
B

The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Writing 2 Feedback Matrix for WP1

Table of Textual Features
Did Not Meet
Expectations
Thesis Statement
Use of Textual
Evidence from
Genres
Use of Course
Readings
Analysis
Organization/Struc
ture
Attention to
Genre/Conventions
and Rhetorical
Factors
Sentence-level
Clarity, Mechanics,
Flow
Other Comments

Met
Expectations

Exceeded
Expectations