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The Binge Breaker: 8 Rhetorical Questions


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 Harris’ thesis.
4)    How does the author hook the intended readers interest and keep the reader reading?
I feel that when reading about technology, just about everyone can relate and I think that is what keeps the reader reading. Everything this “Silicon Valley Tech Mogul,” is saying is relatable and applies to the everyday person.
5)    How does the author make himself seem credible to the intended audience?
I think when he talks about all of his previous experiences, such as working for Google, doing research with B.J. Fogg, creating his own start-up company, and giving presentations and speaking about his ideas. All of these things make him credible to the reader.
6)    Are the writer’s basic values, beliefs, and assumptions similar to or different from my own?
Harris’ beliefs are similar to my own because I do feel that technology and phones are just as addicting as cigarettes. They have a psychological hold over so much of the world that they are taking over our lives and we to need to find a way to disconnect.
7)    How do I respond to the text?
I very much agree with this piece and I like learning that there are people in Silicon Valley who know that what they are doing is addictive and in some ways controlling the population. It has changed my thinking about just how addictive phones are. I think the metaphor of comparing phones to junk food is a good way to show readers what phones are doing to us.
8)    How do this author’s evident purposes for writing fit with my purpose of reading?  

I think our purposes line up together. His purpose is to inform the readers about the addiction of technology and how we can change that, and my purpose for reading was to find out why someone would want to stop the addiction to cell phones and just how bad the addiction really is.