Comparative Essay Sample: Carr and Twenge

Nicholas Carr and Jean Twenge both presented their arguments in different ways and had to change their form of writing and change their style to define their arguments to their audiences. The audience Carr was writing to in “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” needed him to use persuasion through logic, emotions and ethics to make his argument that Google is in fact, making people stupid. Twenge’s audience in “Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation” needed her to elaborate on how the younger generation have been impacted by smartphones. The audiences for both Carr and Twenge’s essays are somewhat distinct from one another and that impacts how each of them address their arguments in their essays.

Firstly, I will be explaining the usage of logic in his argument. “The human brain is almost infinitely malleable. People used to think that our mental meshwork, the dense connections formed among 100 billion or so neurons inside our skulls”( 321). Carr states in his argument that he uses logic to persuade his audience because it illustrates how easy it is for the human brain to be affected by technology and how it can cause major mental health issues. He uses this as evidence during his argument that claims Google is making people stupid. The usage of logic in his essay was a good way for him to reach his audience and make them realize what Google did to them and he also showed them how people use the internet differently.

Twenge’s main argument in her essay was to teach and target the younger audience and really elaborate on how smartphones have affected them personally. She applies the word “depression” many times in her essay and everytime she does, she is trying to explain that the use of smartphones and social media between the younger generation has resulted in teens becoming more depressed. “Eighth graders who are heavy users of social media increase their risk of depression by 27 percent”(348). This goes to show that social media is the most toxic place on the planet and as more years go by, the younger the users get of social media. Also, this has driven children and teens to feel more lonely and depressed. “Rates of depression and auicide have skyrocketed since 2011”(345). Twenge is making a point here because she is reaching out to her audience and teaching them the seriousness of what social media and your own cell phone can do to your mental health and how it really does mess with your brain.  

Carr’s usage of emotions in his essay was once again very well said. He mainly focused this part toward feelings and created a connection with the audience. Writing about how Google is ruining our minds, he states, “the human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive”(324). When he compares technology and our brain, he was indicating that the internet and “Google” was just beginning to make its way into our mind and take control. Furthermore, when he mentioned that our brain is outdated, he was explaining to his readers that technology is smarter and more advanced than our own brains. “I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory”(317). This one really stood out to me because it shows exactly what Google and the internet does to you and it creates this confusion and distraction in your mind. Provided that, Nicholas Carr needs his audience to acknowledge that they know the internet and Google controls the way we research and read because we have become so distracted by it. 

In “Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation” Twenge goes on to make another point and she discusses the lack of social interaction in today’s society. With more teens using social media and having access to these smartphones, it is becoming their whole life and most of the children growing up now, will not remember the time when people didn’t even have phones. Jean Twenge proceeds to describe how “adolescence is a key time for developing social skills”(351). In continuation, he goes into depth about how teens are not having much face to face interactions with their peers. Adolescence is part of growing up and maturing and overall how we develop as humans. To support her claim, she states, “more adults who know just the right emoji for a situation, but not the right facial expression”(351). The younger generation don’t know how to express their feelings in the real world and only know how to over the phone which only has and continues to lead to bad outcomes. Kids don’t know how to communicate in person, so they depend on social media and their phones which only makes them more lonely. I believe Twenge was really trying to argue here that face to face interactions, especially for kids that haven't even hit puberty yet, is very important and necessary. 

While I was reading “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”I found that Carr uses ethics to make his argument compelling. To support his assertion, he talks about how people would much rather use the internet and Google to find all their information instead of actually reading books. Google has resulted in the unwillingness to wait. Today’s society is becoming lazy and wants to obtain their information right away and doesn't care about learning anything. “The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing”(319). Carr stated that while he was talking to some of his peers, he found that most of them don’t read books anymore to gather their information. He goes on about how he has witnessed this happening and Google really is making people stupid. People in today's world are taking advantage of the internet because it is always available and they find it more complicated to go find a book. 

To add on to Twenge’s thoughts, she makes sure that her readers know that she is qualified to make these arguments and she also sends a message to the parents of these teens who are probably being affected by their smartphones. She recommends that parents should be more involved with their children’s social media lives and suggests maybe give them a limit for phone time. Especially if your child is under the age of 15, what they are doing on their phones should be monitored. “Even Steve Jobs limited his kids’ use of the devices he brought into the world”(351). In my opinion, that was a good way to try and convince the parents of these young children that they do in fact need to be watching out for their kids because it could be having a severe impact on their mental health and could cause them to develop self image issues. Jean Twenge does know what she is talking about because she has done some observations on some teens and what their phone has done to them. “I’ve observed my toddler, barely old enough to walk, confidently swiping her way through an iPad(351). She explains how she has already seen that social media and smartphones have brainwashed the younger generation and that is all they know. 

Overall, Carr and Twenge both spoke to their audiences that needed to understand the reality of the situations occurring. They both had to make sure to make clear arguments and switch their style to reach the readers. Carr used persuasion through logic, emotions and ethics which in my opinion, was a good way to reach his audience. Twenge had to change her style to reach a younger audience and the way she applied her ideas in her argument was very clear and she made excellent points. Both of them addressed the problems in their essay very well and made valid points.