Into The Electronic Millennium Rhetorical Analysis

Into the Electronic Millennium by Sven Birkerts, written in 1991, is an informative essay that goes into depth about how society is becoming dependent on electronics as a way of communication. New generations will encounter drastic changes as a result of the switch from printed words to electronic media. Birkerts’ intent is to inform his audience about the dangers that electronics will bring to future generations. He thinks that seeking information through printed words are becoming a rarity for younger people. He also claims that since people are dependent on electronics now, people do not have a mind of their own. They look at a screen to tell them how to dress, how to act, and who to associate themselves with. This is because this newer

He explains how the arts are suffering as a result because everything is displayed online now. Birkert thinks people are losing their sense of self-worth and thinking ability because the arts exemplifies people's “sense of his uniqueness, of individuality, of separateness,” which is slowly disappearing (11). Another claim about the future is about how educational systems are declining due to new technological ways of learning. Birkerts’ believe that aptitude scores are falling because students are unable to “perform the old print rituals to read, or analyze, or write with clarity and purpose. They are essentially “programmed” to think a certain way and always rely on the media to do the work for them. Since schools are depending more and more on technology as a way of teaching, libraries are losing their purpose and books are losing their importance. They are becoming obsolete because the internet holds easier access and is much more convenient. Birkerts claims that older generations have the better morals, traditions, and beliefs because they grew up in a time where technology and social media did not influence their opinion on issues. This new millennium is evolving and losing their sense of identity, privacy, and individuality due to advancements in technology and communication. However, people have to accept that newer generations come with new

He makes this change seem like a negative occurrence is happening. Birkerts wants everyone reading this to believe that the extreme switch from printed word to electronics is a negative consequence for many circumstances. It will affect language, people's sense of individuality, the arts, and students’ aptitude scores. He has a few statistics, for example, when he talks about how people do not read as often, “fifty to a hundred million people (possibly a conservative estimate) form their ideas about what is going on in the world from the same basic package of edited images”(3). However, they are not credible because he does not say where he obtains it from. Birkerts also uses hyperbole when he says, “no one is paying attention” (3). This is an effective literary device to make his point seem even more valid. Obviously, people care that this change is occurring, but not enough people are trying to stop it, as a result, nothing is happening. Analogies are successful with this piece of writing because he is comparing the past, the present, and the future all at the same time. He explains telecommunications as the new networking system of the twenty-first century, just how “railroads were for