Description

This assignment requires you to engage your critical thinking, rhetorical awareness, and reflection capabilities in order to most effectively communicate with your specified audience. Your strategy will determine the choices you make in communicating to your audience, how you present the research, and what you create to convey your message. 

Part One: Two Compositions

• One writing genre composition
• One other genre composition (can also be writing but must be different than the first genre)

Part Two: Rationale

• Perform a rhetorical analysis of your own work (address all nine questions for each composition)
• Explain why you chose the two genres that you did (relate this to your audience)
• Account for the barriers in communicating to your audience(s) you encountered and how you overcame those barriers 
• Address how the composing/writing process was different from your Inquiry-based essay
• MLA formatting
• 800-word minimum

Part Three: Outline of Model Essay

• Outline of Model Essay in bullet point format.
• • Must include at least four structural notes (like the use of questions, the organization information, the way the writer chose to conclude the articles, and so on)
  • Must include comments on at least three rhetorical principles (not author or audience) used in the piece and where.

To view other assignments done in preparation for this essay, please click on the respective assignment title

• Audience and Potential Genres Proposal

 

Assignment

Part One: Two Compositions

Painting:

Blog Post:

Social Media and High school Teens: helpful or hurtful to their growing minds?

With social media on the rise, high school teenagers in the U.S. have been the ones most drawn to these platforms as an escape or to make new friends. But how exactly does social media affect their development and what can they do about it?

May 3, 2022

Kelsy Pena

Student at The City College of New York

 

It’s no doubt high school teens nowadays are on social media. It’s a fun place to share ideas and make new connections that are helpful in the long run. I personally love to use social media to keep up to date with my favorite movie franchises and find people with similar interests to me. There are also the occasional cat and raccoon meme pages, but that’s a story for another time.

Anyways

Due to this, it is important for teens to be mindful of their online habits to avoid any hurtful effects to their development and allow them to flourish into great adults. However, that is always much easier said than done. Without even realizing it, teens can be doing these things and hurting their growth. Here, I’ll talk about a few effects of excessive social media use by high school teens and how they can stop them from causing any long-term effects.

 

Loss of social skills by only communicating online

 

With social media, it’s hard to talk to people face to face unless you know that person personally. Instead, teens tend to use messaging as a form of communication. But in doing so, they can spend time perfecting responses and making an idealized version of themselves. And when it comes down to social settings in public, they may struggle to come up with a response and freeze. It’s as if they gain a sense of anxiety since they must respond right then and there. I know I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing moments, such as telling a waiter “Thank you” after receiving my food. Overall, it’s just easier to text someone online and take your time composing a message as opposed to reading social cues and knowing how to respond in a social setting. But the more this is done, the harder it will be for teens to get jobs or even embark in romantic relationships.

 

Don’t believe everything you see

 

By now, I feel like most teens know better than to believe everything they see online. Sometimes posts can be so silly you know they’re fake, but there are others that genuinely seem believable. Such posts can include information on important topics like sex and dating.

When it comes down to dating amongst high school teens, this is generally a period of experimenting and figuring out what they like. So, if they tend to enjoy adventurous relationships, for instance, it is likely they will carry this trait into adulthood. However, the issue is some teens may get involved with dating violence and endure abuse from their partners. Yet rather than straying away from these relationships, social media helps normalize these behaviors. Not a day goes by where I do not see relationships on Instagram romanticize the idea of yelling at your partner, looking through their phone, cheating, or even physically abusing them. But the sad part about it all is seeing the comments talk about how they relate to these relationships and find it funny. Newsflash – it’s not cute and needs to stop. The more high school teens engage in these behaviors and see them online, the more they think this is what love is. It shouldn’t have to hurt that bad to be loved.

Adding to this, media can also give misinformation on crucial topics such as sex. Rather than viewing this as a loving action between two people, teens just view this as a form of release with no meaning behind it thanks to social media. And if that wasn’t enough, media fails to highlight everything there is to know about sex, from unintended pregnancies to staying safe from STDs. I mean if you’re going to show sexual content, at least show some of the outcomes, right?

 

and finally, Mental Health struggles

Whenever I think of social media, the first thing that comes to mind is photos of people flaunting their looks and everything they did on their latest vacation. Now do not get me wrong, self-love is amazing and should be celebrated. However, social media has created this idea that you must look a certain way to be pretty. If you want people to find you attractive, apparently you need to be super skinny, have silky smooth hair, and a full face of makeup. And do not get me started on the notion that you have to spend a ton of money to represent that you’re “living life the right way”. With all these things, not only may teens develop insecurities with their body image, but they can also develop imposter syndrome. They might feel as if they are not doing enough by ignoring the latest trends or spending vast amounts of money traveling around.

On top of that, there is always that person who has nothing better to do than leave hate comments and bully others. Instead of dealing with their own issues, they think terrorizing innocent teens is more fun.

With these effects, it can seriously hurt the mental health of teens. On an extreme level, they may develop depression and anxiety that can persist into adulthood if not treated. Social media should never have to be a stressful place for a teen to visit. But with the way things are now, it plays a crucial role in hurting their development.

 

But things aren’t always so bad… right?

Okay, so social media isn’t always so bad. Yes, it exposes you to new connections and gives teens a place to figure out their identities. Not only that but places like Twitter can be a place for teens to gain information and what’s happening in the world. But this is ONLY IF social media is used correctly. Personally, when I use social media occasionally, for only 2 hours a day, I feel fine afterward. If anything, it’s fun to catch up on everything. But when I obsess over it and spend hours scrolling through Instagram is where the real issues occur. By doing this, teens are not given the chance to grow in the world and find their lives away from a screen. If they are not careful, high school teens can easily get swept up in the dangers of social media and encounter any one of the effects listed here.

 

So, what now?

The whole point is that teens should be mindful of how they use social media, as well as how often they are online. While it can still be used for leisure, teens should not rely on media for everything and form their identity away from these platforms. And because they’re still young, it’s easier to combat these issues and stop them from carrying onto adulthood. There’s more to life than a screen, and teens have as much time as they need to explore it. And who knows, maybe instead I’ll adopt a cat and make as many memes of them as I want.

 

 

Part Two: Rationale

For the painting, the author would be myself. I am credible because I have done research on this topic and have used sources written by researchers from an academic database. The audience is high school teenagers in the U.S. The teens in the drawing are done young to help represent this. The tone is quite moody and dark. Since this drawing is done at night, the colors used are not bright and cool-toned. Also, since the speech bubbles are negative, the purple and blue help give the idea of sadness and an emotional mood. The purpose is to represent how some teens will spend vast amounts of time on social media and hurt their development as a result. Depending on what they do on these platforms, teens can be negatively or positively affected by what they view. And based on the tone, this painting is meant to highlight some of the negative effects. The genre of this piece is a painting. Some features include the girl and boy in their beds with their phones beside them and speech bubbles surrounding them, respectively. The speech bubbles will list a few reasons from my inquiry-based essay such as cyberbullying, imposter syndrome, and low self-esteem. The medium used to communicate is paper that can be posted on social media to reach the intended audience. Some other media that can be available are a poster to bring more attention and get teens to view this painting. The related things going on are how social media is continuing to grow every day and is something teens are using. Therefore, this piece can highlight some things that social media can do to high school teens. While there are positive effects that social media has on the development of high school teens, my painting will primarily include the negative effects to make it less confusing. The cultural expectations are to include teenagers that others can relate. It would not make sense to draw an older woman if my audience is tailored to teens. Also, the speech bubbles need to be relatable and things teens are going through. Finally, the stance of this genre is quite negative since the speech bubbles include the negative effects of social media. The dark setting will also help to emphasize this.

As for the blog post, the author is myself and I am credible because I have done research on this topic. To back up my information, I have researched in an academic database with sources written by professionals and other researchers. My audience is high school teens in the U.S. since this is what my topic is based on and who is referenced in the post. The tone is conversational and lighthearted due to the use of personal anecdotes and lack of professionalism. While the blog is still formal, it is not written like an essay. The purpose is to give insight into how social media affects the development of teens and how they can protect themselves. Not that they need to stop using these platforms, but teens should be mindful of how they spend their time online. The genre of this is a blog post that includes things such as different fonts, headings, and a call to action at the end. The medium is an online blog post. Once again, the related things are the increased usage of social media among teens and how they can prevent social media from deeply affecting their development. This piece will be in tune with this idea and include relevant information about what these platforms are doing. The cultural expectations are to reference media that teens are using today and references they will understand. It would be quite confusing to include information from Facebook if most teens are now on Twitter and Instagram. The author’s stance will be more on the negative side. While positives will be referenced, they will not form the basis of the blog post.

The reason why I chose these genres was because teens get easily distracted or disinterested. My genres needed to either catch their eye or be relatable enough for them to continue reading. For instance, with the painting I can include vivid colors, an interesting composition, or something that stands out right away. This will make the painting pop and be eye-catching enough for a teenager to want to look at. As for the blog post, I was able to create a conversation with my audience to keep them engaged. By making this genre relatable, teens would be more inclined to keep reading and learn more. Not only that but the call to action at the end will answer the “so what” and why they read this piece in the first place.

Some barriers I encountered while communicating with my audience are the fact that teens get disinterested easily. I needed to create something that is both engaging and interesting enough for them to see through it to the end. While it may be easier with a painting to create something that stands out, the blog post will need more effort. I overcame this by making my content relatable and something teens can see themselves in. By doing this, my audience had more of an incentive to continue reading. Another barrier I came across was what kind of information I would need. I would need to condense my information in a way that is easy to read and does not leave anything out. To overcome this, I separated my reasonings into three large groups and subgroups within them. This way I can avoid repeating myself and get straight to the point.

The writing process differs from the inquiry-based essay because my information was less in-depth. Overall, it was quicker to write in terms of information and I had to use far more powerful wording to make up for this. Not only that but I did not have to do as much research for my topic. Everything is already done and will only need to be adjusted to fit my genres. All I needed to do was research the genres and how to compose them. To do this, I found model essays to go off, which I did not need for my inquiry-based essay. All in all, the writing process for this assignment was much shorter and more enjoyable. Even though I have more freedom in what I create, it was a challenge coming up with an adequate structure.

 

Part Three: Outline of Model Essay

Painting: Sopybekov, Bakhauaddin-bek. “A Collection of Cute People Lying on the Bed Talking on the Phone….” IStock, 24 Oct. 2019, https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/a-collection-of-cute-people-lying-on-the-bed-talking-on-the-phone-lots-of-men-and-gm1183043451-332458267.

• • Each drawing only showcases a figure, how they’re lying in bed, and their phone
    • Simple!!!
  • Moody to represent the time of day – nighttime
  • Light from phone is the main source of light and puts focus to their face
  • Figure is comfortable, not stiff or rigid
  • There is no background to put emphasis on the figure
  • Genre is a cartoon
  • Tone is moody, calm, and comfortable
  • Author’s stance is how being on your phone at night is a comfortable feeling and is enjoyable

 

Blog Post: Sharma, Ashima. “How I’ve Grown My Business as an Introvert with Anxiety.” Buffer Resources, Buffer Resources, 21 Apr. 2022, https://buffer.com/resources/introverted-business-owner/.

• • Relatable content that people today can see themselves in and how to overcome similar struggles
  • While part of their issue was solved, there are still times where this author encounters them again and has learned to deal with them
  • Separated by subheadings that are sentences – each step is separated
  • Author told this like a story – the issue, how it affected them, the steps it took to learn how to overcome them, how they are now
  • Small blurb at the beginning to summarize what will be discussed
  • Tone is lighthearted and conversational – she gets her information across but not so strict and professional
  • Genre is a blog
  • Purpose is to show how the author has an issue (introvert with anxiety) and how she has learned to manage it to grow her own business
    • Inform others that they can do it too and encourage them
  • Stance is positive and encouraging that the audience can overcome their struggles too to grow their business
  • Cultural expectations are others who want to grow their business but have similar mental health struggles preventing them from doing so