Steven Pinker vs. Peggy Orenstein

In both readings Mind Over Mass Media and I Tweet, Therefore I Am Steven Pinker and Peggy Orenstein share their views on social media and how it impacts the daily lives of others. In Steven Pinker's ''Mind Over Mass Media'' Pinker argues that the Internet isn't making us dumber, but in fact is actually making us smarter. With the use of online encyclopedias and search engines, we can all access to the Internet at our fingertips. One example Pinker used to explain how technology helped us, was the use of PowerPoint. This is personally relatable to all college students out there, because in most of our lecture classes we learn through PowerPoints. Professors use it to access their lessons in a matter or seconds and they can provide links to articles and videos. He expresses that technology is helpful but only if one has self control. In his argument, Pinker uses logos and ethos to get his point across. He expresses logical reasoning to how technology helps support a person's intellect. However, his argument would've been stronger if he Incorporated pathos. 

However in I Tweet, Therefore I am, Peggy Orenstein argues that social media has more of a negative effect on people. She believes that social media is the cause of people losing their identity or their ''true self''. When people post on social media sites, there is a chance that they are ''posing'' for their audience, pretending to be something they're not. Orenstein expresses that social media can hinder one's self awareness, identity and lose their true self. She argues mainly appealing to the audience with pathos. She makes a personal connection between her writing and real life making it more relatable to her readers. Often times we find ourselves in the moment during a fun time, and we stop so we can update our social media sites to show people how much fun we're having. It is very easy to conform to the trend of ''self promotion'' whilst on social media sites.