Essay Sample on The Internet: Blessing or Curse

Introduction

The author tries to argue that the internet, even though it has done the research, reading more easier, it stills affects one's cognitive ability. One goes further on and describes that media is not a channel for transfer of imagination but that it supplies the processes of thoughts in that it tends to affect one's concentration in reading and also it directly affects how one thinks. It is evidenced when then author states in the article, "The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused for long" (Carr 7). The internet, which is a pathway of linking information and aid to ease up research work, still affects one's cognitive mind and the ability to concentrate.

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How the author uses specific argument strategies:

Logos

It mostly relies on reasons; in that, it refers to how an author takes part in a subject by giving reasons why a specific position or something said is either positive or negative from the main point of view. The use of logos also depends on how the author employs the use of inductive and deductive reasoning (Carr). The author uses inductive reasoning, which refers to the making of broad generalizations from examples, and later on concluding, this is evidenced when the author concludes that the internet affects one's mind and also the reading concentration (Carr). The author goes on and draws in examples of prominent persons such as well-known internet bloggers, scholars, lecturers, pathologists, and overlays how the internet has affected their cognitive ability. For example, the author states that the internet alters one's mental ability, "Bruce Friedman, who blogs regularly about the use of computers in medicine, also has described how the Internet has altered his mental habits." Bruce Friedman explains how one has lost the ability to read

Ethos

It refers to how an argument is built and how it appeals to its audience by emphasizing one's authority and also credibility. The author uses the art of credibility by use of reliable sources to build an argument, as evidenced when one states that research was conducted by Scholars from the College London University who examined how computer logs affect one's brain and also behavior. The scholars used two persons, one operated at the library while the other used journal articles such as E-books. The conclusion of the research found out that people using the internet sites exhibited "a form of skimming activity" (Carr 8). The author tries to show us how when one gets addicted to using the internet one cannot follow the old tradition of reading through books from one chapter to the other, but one will skim through the table of contents and pages in the online texts to get something concrete for their research purposes.

The author also uses prominent persons in order to support one's argument, since one is well aware that when the public reads about one's contents they will follow what one has said because the public leaders or persons have said so. For example, the author uses Bruce Friedman, a well-known blogger, to support one's statement that the internet affects how one thinks and reads. "He's thinking, he said, has taken on a "staccato" quality, reflecting the way he quickly scans short passages of texts from many sources online." (Carr 8) The author goes on and explains how the famous blogger has lost the ability to blog since what all one can do is to skim the contents.

Also, the author tries to show one that by reading on the internet has weakened one's capacity of deep reading, the author explains that by reading online, one only decodes the information but does not understand it fully. The author states that the internet has made one reduce the ability to interpret the text and also make connections when reading something without being distracted. (Carr 10)

Pathos

It refers to the way how an author can convince the readers of an argument by creating an emotional feeling or response to a convincing story. Most authors use this to persuade readers by also employing the use of facts and even figures. The author brings about the story of a well-known historic writer Friedrich Nietzsche who bought a type of writer. The author goes on and explains how the writer goes through pain and suffering since one had not mastered the touch typing, "His vision was failing, and keeping his eyes focused on a page had become exhausting and painful, often bringing on crushing headaches." (Carr 11). The author also uses facts to support one's argument, and this is visible when one uses the research conducted by the university scholars to conclude that using the internet most frequently affects one's cognitive ability and also affects one's concentration ability when reading large volumes of the book.

Conclusion

The author uses the strategies which include the pathos, logos, and ethos to persuade the reader into agreeing with one's points that the internet, even though it is something good since it aids in reducing the workload. The internet has some limitations that come with it and includes how it affected one's cognitive ability and also one's concentration when it comes to reading.

Works Cited

Carr, N. "Is Google making us stupid?" Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, vol. 107, no. 2, 2008, pp. 89-94, doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2008.00172.x.

Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google making us stupid: What the internet is doing to our brains." (2008).