Social Media Rhetorical Analysis

Words: 1054
Pages: 5

Since social media was introduced to the world, it has been among the most popular categories of apps. However, as time goes on, apps such as Instagram or Tik Tok are seeing more and more teens on the platform, whether for good or for bad. The question of whether or not teens should have full access to social media and the contents of it has been pondered for quite some time, and people such as James P. Steyer and Jason Kelley have written of their personal opinions on the matter. Some people, such as James Steyer, believe that the cons of teens’ using social media outweigh the pros, and he attempts to convince readers of his article to agree with him using strategies such as playing on the fears of parents and pathos, playing on the emotions of the reader. On the other side of the …show more content…
They’re especially susceptible to harmful content that exposes them to drugs, eating disorders, and dangerous viral challenges.” (Steyer 22) The author uses words such as “expose”, “dangerous”, and “vulnerable”, as well as highlights the negative parts of social media, reiterating how susceptible teens are to them, which makes readers, who are most likely to be parents, fear for the futures and current lives of their children that they protect. Steyer brings up how dangerous and harmful the content of social media is, and it scares parents, making them sure to agree with his argument. Despite Steyer making good arguments and convincing statements, Kelley, who disagrees that social media should be restricted, focuses on facts instead of emotional appeal, even bringing the law into his argument with, “Restricting young people’s access to social media would also violate their First Amendment