Rhetorical Analysis Of Meghan Daum´s Virtual Love

1466 Words6 Pages

Online love is the new obsession of the current generation. Dating sites such as Eharmony, Tinder, and OkCupid have surfaced, claiming if people join their websites then they will find love. With so much time spent on the computer, it isn’t surprising that people form online relationships. Meghan Daum was one person who found love online, but it happened during a time when the internet and virtual love wasn’t huge and everywhere. Daum’s article, Virtual Love, was published August 25, 1997, and its purpose was to inform reader about online love and how horrible her online relationship ended. Meghan Daum, an American author, who is a New York Times Bestseller, wrote a personal article about her online love. The paper starts with the lovers first …show more content…

Daum made herself a character in Virtual Love; a character that the readers can hate, but somehow relate too. Her character is full of “narcissism” and continually wants to be “complimented”. At first because of Daum’s writing style the readers dislike the character. No one wants to admit they are selfish and constantly want attention, but that is human nature. The audience begins to see themselves in Daum. Everyone loves to receive compliments and the easiest way to get one is online and away from reality. Daum fell down the rabbit hole to get attention and it seems the readers have followed her. As the her character is better understood and agreed with, Daum’s writing credibility is built up. The audience begins to see themselves in Daum and can understand some of her …show more content…

Real love is a hard to find and get. It is scary and unpredictable. Daum shows just how easy it is to get lost in fantasy love where getting compliments is as easy as counting to three. Getting caught up in online is easy and one can get lost on the internet. When people get lost in fantasy, the real world becomes less beautiful and more of a nightmare. Daum writes of a character who can’t escape her internet world. The diction and imagery pulls readers in and makes them realize that hiding on a computer isn’t healthy nor will it give a person happiness. If too much time is spent online then reality will never be satisfying and expectations will always be let down. Daum wants people to leave the internet world before they get sucked in like her