Francesca Mauceri Writing

Technology: Addictive or Not?             In an interview done by Mike Pesca, he speaks to Adam Alter about his book  Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.  They talk about how technology has become addictive and it is in the same category as drug and gambling addictions. Screen addiction has become just as bad among people as tobacco and cigarette addiction was before the companies had legal regulations placed on them. This leaves the question, has screen addiction become so bad that we need to place regulations on technology companies and what they can sell to consumers, or is this addiction just “different” because it is the “norm”?             Before anyone can decide if screen addiction is truly an epidemic facing our world, there has to be a clear definition of what the word “addiction” means. Accordi...

The End of Solitude Descriptive Outline: Paragraph 1 Says: The self wants to be known by as many people as possible. It wants to be connected and visible. Does: This paragraph opens the piece, and gives an introduction to what is to come. It mentions how technology works with these connections.   Paragraph 2 Says: Technology removes the sense of being alone. It takes away privacy, solitude and the ability to be alone. Does: This paragraph shows how technology is truly the source of making humans live their lives in solitude. Paragraph 3 Says: Students perspective on solitude. They say that they don’t like to be alone.   Does: It relates the piece to why people don’t want to be alone. It also gets the opinions of younger people on solitude and being alone. Paragraph 4 Says: Religious solitude is a choice that is part of a smaller society, not mankind as a whole. Does: It relates how solitude can be from a religious aspect. Paragraph 5 Says: As ti...

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched events on TV every year. More than 11 million people watched it this year, and the number keeps growing each year. The Super Bowl has three main categories of watchers, the football fans, the halftime fans, and the commercial fans. The football fans are only watching to watch the game itself, and will maybe stick around to watch the commercials, but that is there time to get up and get food or use the bathroom. Next, the halftime fans are watching just to see the halftime show, this year’s being Justin Timberlake. Lastly, the commercial fans are the people watching to see the ads, and see what crazy ideas companies have come up with to get people to buy their products. This year it cost $5 million to get a 30 second commercial to play during the Super Bowl. Why so expensive you may ask? The Super Bowl is the most watched event on TV all year, and it is the best time to get product advertisement out to the most amount of people possible. Each...

1)     What questions does the text address, explicitly or implicitly? Why are they significant? The questions that the text addresses are “Why are we so addicted to our technology? How can the tech industry change their ways? How can we, the tech users, change our relationship with technology?” These questions are significant because they direct the text to not only technology users, but also technology creators and CEO’s. 2)     Who is the intended audience? The intended audience is not only the technology users, but also the technology creators. This directs the article to basically everyone, because mostly everyone on the plant uses some sort of technology. 3)     How does the author support his or her thesis with reasons and evidence? The thesis is supported through research done by Tristan Harris, his own experiences working with google and then himself “disconnecting” and through research done by other people who support H...