I am planning on writing about the potential harmful effects of radiation emitted from electronic devices throughout the semester. Although this issue can be applied to a wide audience, I will focus on the group that includes teenagers and young adults. This group has been bombarded with advances in technology; however, many people are unaware of the risks of overexposure to these devices.
From the work of Bowdon and Scott, I will be working with the idea of “Technical and Professional Communication as Rhetoric.” To express the concerns related to overuse of electronic devices, I believe it would be best to use persuasion as my primary focus. With that being said, I want to make my argument with a strong audience-based orientation as well. Relaying this information to millennials will be much easier through the internet and social platforms; how to persuade them is different scenario.
It would be beneficial to use the persuasive appeals that Aristotle identifies as logos and pathos. Since this is a technical topic, appealing to the audience’s sense of reason and logic makes the most sense. Since the topic reveals that electronics can be dangerous, I will tie my reasoning in with an emotional appeal.
My definition of rhetoric is somewhat limiting because persuading millennials on social media is a real challenge. On Facebook, millions of articles circulate (from animal videos to food recipes); most with the intent of entertainment. I get the feeling that younger generations react negatively to being told what to do or how to do it. I have to structure my argument in such a way that the rational text and emotional appeal will evoke action from my audience, rather than simply telling them what to do.
I plan on using social media and possibly brochures to reach my audiences, as stated previously. I will try to engage with this age group more effectively by using viral memes, videos and additional social context. The best way to relate to my audience is to understand how they currently receive news/information and media that they are drawn to.
This is a super interesting topic to be covering. Growing up in a time in which personal technology devices are taking over the common person, these possible effects could have lasting consequences on generations to come. I like the audience that you plan to reach. As stated, this is something that could be address to everyone. However, I agree that this group would benefit the most from this information. Being a young adult and someone who is constantly on his phone, I feel that my generation does not take into consideration these possible effects. It will be truly interesting to see the results of studies in the years to come as they gather more information. I like how to plan to address the audience, also. I do not believe that using scaring tactics or anything of that nature is the best idea. You have the perfect idea to attack the audience using a persuasive approach through social media. I also believe that this would be the best way to get this information across. Mostly all of us surround ourselves with social media and usually respond well to reason and logic. The thing I am most curious about is how you can keep the message going. As we see with viral things in today’s day in age, viral things last maybe a month if they are lucky. This argument may fall victim to this usual behavior. If you could fix up a plan that combat this short-term fame, this could be a very successful campaign. Overall, this seems like a well thought plan and could prove beneficial for many generations to come. I am confident that you can do well with this campaign and am looking forward to seeing the next draft!