Social Networking

The research topic of my final paper is social networking, and the effect that social networking sites has on the development and maintainging of relationships among the BYU student population. I came across an article in my research pertaining to MySpace and social development entitled: "Self-Presentation and gender on MySpace." This article was published in the Journal of Applied and Developmental Psychology.

Audience: This article is most likely to be read by those who are researching the implications of social networking in the social development of adolescents. The article focuses on the social networking site MySpace, and the researchers behind the research present results from a study that shows how this site affects the identity development of its users.

Argument:

Claim: Social networking sites, such as MySpace, can have both a positive and a negative effect on social development of adolescents

Reason: because social networking sites allow adolescents to explore their identity, but also produce pressures from social comparison and idealized images that produce negative self-image and inhibit social development.

Goal: To encourage a balanced view of MySpace that presents the opportunities and the drawbacks of social networking sites.

How

Ethos: The researches included their methods and procedures to the study they conducted, which are both sound and practical. The results are based off of results from the obtaining of insights of college age students that use MySpace and also observing their behavior in connection on MySpace.

Sufficient:

First off, the authors of this article present the intentions behind their current research and the results of past research from which they are building. Then, they inform the reader of the methods of the study they conducted, after which the results are reported in depth and connected to the relevant aspects of their argument. Each aspect of their argument is discussed in detail before the presentation of the conclusive results of the study. After covering the connections of their research to the results of the study in depth, then they present their conclusions, thus providing adequate material for the reader as well as reliable conclusions.

Relevant:

There are several quotations used within the article providing insights and supporting evidence for the researchers’ argument. These quotations are coming directly from the group that is being studied, which helps the audience to know that the researchers aren’t simply organizing abstract results in order to reach a desired conclusion. The quotations help to validate the argument of the researchers and provide a critical connection to real life situations, as opposed to the presentation of hypothetical assumptions.

Is it effective? Yes. I consider myself a part of the intended audience, and this article has provided me with useful information for my research intentions. Not all of the results connect directly with my specific scope of research, but this has provided me with helpful insights and ideas from which to build subsequent research.

"Love and Law"

“Love and Law”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Audience: The target audience is parents of wayward children, particularly Latter Day Saint parents. This talk was given at the October 2009 general conference of the LDS church.

Enthymeme:

Claim: Obeying the law of God will bring choice blessings
Reason: because obeying the law of God prepared and enables us to feel His love and mercy.

Goal: The goal of the argument is to help parents to realize the need for balance between love and discipline in their family relationships. This recognition will also help parents to find a way to create unity in their families in times of hardship, such as when a member of the family is being disobedient.

How:

Relevant: The examples are relevant to the message and provide support for the point Elder Oaks is trying to make. Also, Elder Oaks includes a variety of examples that demonstrate different aspects of his message. He uses the example of a child living in cohabitation, and relates the common points of misunderstanding and contention between the parents and the child on this subject. He also mentions children who are using drugs or alcohol, and acknowledges the difficulty in dealing with this problem. The examples are fairly general, but the audience is more likely to connect to the subject matter by not using very specific examples. This helps the audience to relate more personally to the message, thus making it more meaningful to them.

He also uses examples from the Savior’s life. This provides a connection with the audience that will lead them to want to implement this message into their life. The audience is trying to be the best parents they can be, and they are also striving to become more like Jesus Christ. Therefore, by giving examples from the Savior’s life about the law of God and the love of God enables the audience to become better parents while at the same time helping them progress in their striving to become more like Jesus Christ.

Tone: The tone of the talk is of a serious nature, and denotes the importance of the message; however, it is not too stern or compelling. There is an expression of love incorporated in the seriousness of the subject matter.

Ethos: The sources that Elder Oaks uses to make his argument are credible, especially to the audience. He uses scriptural references, which the audience will not likely question or doubt. Elder Oaks presents these scriptures in such a way that the audience can gain a new perspective and draw new insights from existing truth.

Is it effective? Yes, the audience not only view the sources that Elder Oaks uses in his talk as credible and trustworthy, but they also trust Elder Oaks as a leader of the church. They will listen to what he has to say, and to the best that they can to implement the message into their own lives.

The Clock is Ticking

Nickelback - Savin' Me

Kurt MySpace Video

Audience: The target audience consists of those that do not value the time that is given to them in their everyday life, which is true for every person at one point or another. Whether life is just beginning, coming to an end, or at any point in between, the message presented in this video applies to those of all ages, but most especially to adults who have become too self-absorbed to recognize the importance of helping other people.

Argument: The fragility of life as defined by the limits of time urges us to live the way we want to live and help those that we can along the way, because the fragility of life created by the limits of time characterizes life by the time we have left, which is continually becoming shorter by the second.

Implicit Assumption: Whatever characterizes life by the time we have left also urges us to live the way we want to live and help those that we can along the way.

Goal: To cause us to re-evaluate the way we think about our own lives, and the role we have in the lives of others.

How:

Logos:
At the beginning of the video, a man saved another man from being hit by a bus. The man that was saved then realized that he was able to see the allotment of time that the people around him had left to live. At the end of the video, the man saves a woman from being crushed by a falling object, and the woman is then able to see the time each person has left to live. This helps establish that those that have been helped by others are more able to see the needs of others that are in the same situation. This produces a chain that starts with one person and continues to grow as more people are being helped.

Accurate: The man could not save everyone, and not everyone needed to be saved, showing that everyone is at different stages of life. For some life was just beginning, for others they still had a long time to live, and then for some others, like the woman in the ambulance, it was her time to go.

Symbolism: By showing that each person has an allotted amount of time to live, and that the course of life can be altered by one person, we are able to see that one person can mean the difference between life and death, but not just in a physical sense. There are times in all of our lives when we are struggling with loneliness, frustration, or discouragement. In those times, we can help each other overcome those struggles.

Is it effective? Yes, but perhaps not to the same extent for everyone. The audience is most likely to think ore about the video due to waht I identified as logos. For those that spend time thinking about the video after watching it, the goal of the argument is likely to be achieved.

The Effects of a Soda Tax on American Health

Audience: The audience consists of those in Congress that are in favor of the soda tax, or that have not decided one way or another on this issue.

Argument: A soda tax will not change the behavior of Americans enough to improve their health. The tax will lead to a decrease in consumption, thus possibly decreasing obesity, but this change will not be long term or sufficient enough to decrease obesity, neither will it improve the health of Americans.

Enthymeme:

Claim: Taxing soda drinks will not improve the health of Americans
Reason: because taxing soda drinks will not lead to a change in behavior.

Implicit Assumption: Whatever will not lead to a change in behavior also will not improve the health of Americans.

Goal: To persuade legislators to consider methods other than taxation to decrease soda consumption.

How:
The main elements that are used to try and persuade the audience include:

Sufficient information: The information supplied is sufficient and displays understanding of the issue.

Relevant argument: The statistics included in the paper are relevant to the issue. They are also current, or applicable to the point being made. The paper does not drift far from the issue, and any measurable steering away from the main argument is simply a means of producing support to the argument.

Pathos: The proposal of changing the way people think about soda has an emotional appeal, because it implies going deeper than enforcing a tax, which is a superficial means of causing change. Whether or not the audience agrees that this can be done, it does provoke thought and greater emotion than anything else in the paper.

Logos: The paper is well organized and contains logical flow and argument. The organization of the paper aids the purposes of persuasion because the audience’s stance is not rejected at the beginning of the paper. There is a significant portion of the writing that develops common ground with the audience, and establishes a mutual connection. The argument then stems off of that common ground, helping the audience to understand where the concessions are coming from.

Is it effective? This argument will probably not convince those that are already decided on this subject to change their minds, because it is very likely that those individuals have already thought about everything presented in the text of this paper. However, there is a possibility that those that are undecided on this subject will be pushed to the side that opposes the soda tax after reading this. The argument is not all together ineffective, and will cause the audience to at least think more about the issue, but the audience will probably not be thoroughly convinced of the ineffectiveness of a tax after reading this one argument.

The Blind Side

The audience targeted by this film trailer consists of adults, male and female, of all ages. More specifically, those in the audience typically like dramas, and are pulled to the film because of the inspiring message. Also, many people in the audience will want to see the film because Sandra Bullock is the leading actress. Although this isn’t her usual role, the film trailer shows that she plays the part very well, and those that like Sandra Bullock will generally want to see this movie.

Goal: To spark the interests of the audience and to stimulate that interest so that they will go see the movie when it is released.

Argument:
The eye opening message and realistic element of this film will inspire you to want to be more of a positive impact to the people around you because this film shows that the love and devotion of one person to another can change the lives of both people.

The implicit assumption is: Whatever shows that the love and devotion of one person to another can change the lives of both people also inspires you to want to be more of a positive impact to the people around you.

How:
The trailer provides the audience with a sufficient understanding of the plot of the film so as to make them want to see it, yet does not reveal too much of the plot to decrease interest in going to see the movie.

The emotional appeals in the trailer are created primarily through the synthesis between the selected music and the clips from the movie. The tone of the music played throughout the trailer connects with the selection of scenes from the movie, which helps the audience to establish an opinion of the film before even seeing it, and helps the individuals in the audience to better connect to the story.

Throughout the trailer there are phrases that appear on the screen. These phrases connect with one another and help to establish an emotional connection with the audience. The most impactful connection is made between the two main characters when the words “It’s the only world she ever knew,” and then seconds later, “It’s the only world he ever knew” are visually placed in the minds of those watching the trailer. These words are not vocally expressed, but are only placed in visual form. The audience is able to obtain a better understanding for the nature of the film by the words that are selectively shown throughout the trailer.

The most effective element in the trailer for the purposes of the audience is the selection of music. The tie between the music and the clips from the movie evoke feelings of sadness, determination, and love. Music evokes emotion, and people remember experiences with emotion extremely well, thus making the audience more likely to go and see the movie.

Views On Racism

I am writing a paper about racism in American society, and whether or not we live in a post-racial society. One of my sources for this paper is an article from the Journal of Conflict Resolution entitled "Has Racism Declined in America?"
http://www.jstor.org.erl.lib.byu.edu/stable/173910?seq=16

Audience: This article is most likely to be read by scholars interested in evaluating racism in American society. They want to become more informed about the subject and are already wel informed about the subject.

Goal: The goal of this article is to inform the audience about the split view of racism in American society, and ulitmately show that whites think that blacks are being given too much attention and that blacks view this resistance as racism.

Argument: Racism is a self-inflicted injury and an issue generated by both blacks and whites.

How:
Ethos: The authors of the article also conducted a study, and they included their procedures and the results of the study in the article. The results of the study support their argument and the procedure was well thought out and executed.

Logos: Much of the article is generated by logical thinking. The argument, presented with evidence, makes logical sense to both the authors and to the reader.

Sufficient: The authors of the article include sufficient information and evidence to support their argument. They used numerous sources and also developed much of their argument very efficiently.

Relevant: All of the information presented in the article is relevant to the question of whether or not racism is declining in the U.S. The information is also well organized and presented in a way that enables the reader to follow the information and draw his or her own conclusion from the article.

Effective: For the purposes of the article, it is effective. After reading the article, the audience is more informed about the issue of racism and is able to see a greater division between how racism is treated on both the white and black side of the issue. The most effective element included in the article is that the information is relevant to the issue and the authors make a logical argument.

My Encounter At Gold's Gym

I went to Gold’s Gym to find out more about getting a membership. The young man at the front desk was named Cameron, and he showed me around and informed me about the resources in the gym.

Audience: me.

Goal: To convince me to sign up for a membership.

Argument: Gold’s Gym has resources that will help me achieve my fitness goals.

How:
Pathos: Cameron was very courteous and had great social skills, which made it easier for me to listen to what he was saying and feel comfortable with the situation. However, at the front desk he told me to follow him, but continued talking as he was walking away, so I didn’t catch some of the things that he said (I found out later that we were waiting for a man named Carlos), which left me somewhat confused.

Ethos: Instead of just telling me that I could sign up for a membership with tanning, he first asked me if a like to tan. He could tell that I wasn’t accustomed to the gym environment or equipment, so he informed me of the function of the different machines and kept all of his explanations fairly simple and basic. After the tour, Cameron informed me that the man we were waiting for was going to be there soon, and then said “Let’s talk.” He was trying to gain a level of personal connection with me, and thus establish more credibility. The conversation was not geared around what he thought I wanted him to say, but for me that increased his credibility because it let me know that he wasn’t just trying to say what he I wanted to him to say.

Insufficient/inaccurate: Carlos, the man that was going to talk to me about prices and payments, was late. Cameron was excusing him by saying that it was his birthday yesterday, and he had partied too hard. In an attempt to stall, Cameron tried to go over prices with me.
Cameron told me, “My job is to stand at the front desk and act like I don’t know anything about the prices.” Well, he wasn’t acting, because he really didn’t know very much about the prices at all. He had a calculator and kept punching in numbers trying to tell me how I could make my membership cheaper, but said he was making it up.

All in all, I was not persuaded to get a membership to Gold’s Gym, although I am more likely now to get a membership than I was before walking in. The breaking factor in this encounter was Cameron’s reaction to the absence of Carlos.