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Mind Over Mass Media Rhetorical Analysis

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Rhetorical Analysis of “Mind Over Mass Media” Many people believe that new forms of electronic media such as search engines, which offer easy access to incredible amounts of information are harmful to people’s intelligence because they allow us to understand only the main idea of the information provided instead of allowing us to gain an in depth understanding of the topic. Steven Pinker, a professor at Harvard University argues in his essay “Mind Over Mass Media” that these new forms of electronic media are actually beneficial to people's intelligence and the accusations made against it are unwarranted. He is successful in doing this because he brings up counterarguments and disproves them, he offers advice in practicing self control when …show more content…

Firstly, he is a professor at Harvard University which is universally known for being one of the most prestigious universities in the United States as well as the world. Additionally, he is a professor of psychology and has written many books on the subject. Finally, this essay was published in the New York Times in 2010 which is one of the most well known and credible news outlets. All of this is an appeal to ethos because with this information about Pinker we know he is a very credible source when it comes to anything dealing with how people think and how the mind works. However, this could also be seen as a bandwagon appeal because the vast majority of people reading the New York Times most likely already use technology every day. In conclusion, although many people believe new forms of electronic media are harmful to people’s intelligence, Steven Pinker thinks otherwise. He successfully proves this by bringing up many counterarguments and disproving them as well as having very trustworthy credentials. That being said, he also thinks it is important to practice self control to avoid becoming too distracted with these new forms of media and

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