In this post I will be rhetorically analyzing Danah Boyd’s blog and Sarah Zhang’s blog. Danah’s blog focuses on taking an email sabbatical whereas the Digital Natives blog talks about social media overload.
Danah uses both logos and pathos in her blog post regarding why and when she will be taking her email sabbatical. She appeals to logos by explaining the lengthy process of preparing for and carrying out the sabbatical. She also appeals to logos by expressing the exact purpose of leaving her email for a certain period of time. Danah appeals to pathos by conveying the importance of having a break from constant communication for her own psychological and emotional health. Her basic idea is that she needs a complete and total break from being connected…not just a partial one.
Sarah Zhang’s blog primarily uses the appeal of logos. It explains how we are just always connected, whether it is in the form of emails, Facebook messages, Twitter, etc. Sarah’s blog definitely focuses more on moderation than Danah’s blog. Danah plans to entirely cut herself off from the internet whereas Sarah talks more about ways to avoid being overly connected, such as owning a smart phone.
The rhetorical messages conveyed in both posts are successful: I understand completely why Danah wants a break and has planned this email sabbatical for herself. I also agree with Sarah about being too connected within social media.
When is too much? What can we do to alleviate the anxieties posed by being submerged in the digital age?
1 comment:
I really like your analysis of both blogs. I understand Danah completely cutting herself off of internet but sometimes you need to access your emails because it is about something important. That is why i would probably go with Sarah's blog about the moderation of being connected. I don't think we realize when it is too much of a social media overload.
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