AO2: ‘It’s so over: cool cyber kids abandon social networking sites’ By: Esha Shahzad 10-M

The extract ‘it’s so over: cool cyber kids abandon social networking sites’ is a non-fiction newspaper article from THE
GUARDIAN. It is an informative and slightly persuasive piece of writing that makes the reader aware of the latest
researches that prove that, with the passage of time, use of social media among youngsters has declined as compared to
adults who are becoming quite fond of it and seem to ‘’Kill a youth trend’’. The author has used semi-formal language
and the extract is intended for the general public, namely children and adults.

The passage makes use of heavy, unique vocabulary such as ‘’exodus’’, ‘’proliferation’’ and ‘’traversing’’ which helps
create coherency and authenticity in the passage. By doing so, an impression is given to the reader that the author
knows what they are talking about. Similarly, jargon is used in the passage when the author refers to the online platform
as ‘’cyber world’’. Once again, this helps create a sense of authority and reliability. It is an example of LOGOS and adds
significant weight to the provided argument.

Facts and Statistics are used throughout to make the presented argument irrefutable. In this particular extract, the
author validates their point by saying that the rate of youngsters using social media has dropped from ‘’55% to 50%’’
and for adults it has increased from ‘’40% to 46%’’. This adds on to the logical appeal of the passage which indirectly
persuades and manipulates the reader into trusting the author.

Furthermore, another example of LOGOS – expert advice is used in the extract to reinforce a reason and strengthen the
argument of the author. References to professionals such as James Thicket (director of market research) and Peter
Phillips (regulator’s head of strategy) are made to further prove the point that adults are slowly taking over social media.

Few examples of figures of speech can be found in the passage to engage the reader and add interest in the passage
that keeps the reader hooked throughout. Metaphors such as ‘’kill a youth trend’’ are used to emphasize and add drama
to the argument that adults are taking over social media like they have previously done by ‘’wearing skinny jeans’’ and
‘’investing in ra ra skirts’’. Secondly, exaggeration is used in the passage such as ‘’behind the explosion in the usage of
twitter’’. This makes a dramatic point and arouses emotions of frustration in the reader as they begin to realize the rapid
spread of adults in sites that were intended mainly for young children and teenagers.

An allusion to the Hebrew Bible is also made by the usage of the phrase ‘’adolescent exodus’’. This helps compare the
departure of children and adolescents from MySpace to the migration of Israelites from the slavery in Egypt.

Moreover, the syntax of the extract is mainly inclusive of varying sentences and short paragraphs that make the passage
easier to read and prevent it from sounding monotonous and tedious. Additionally, phrasal verbs such as ‘’checking up’’
and ‘’take up’’ are used which prevent boredom amidst the target audience.

In conclusion, the passage successfully depicts the idea of the rapid increase of adults in social platforms as compared to
youngsters. To do this, the passage makes use of LOGOS and varying sentence structure or paragraphing which engages
the reader and informs them that the older generation are notorious for their ability to ‘’kill a youth trend’’.
 AO2: ‘Social Websites Harm Children’s Brains’ By: Esha Shahzad 10-M
The extract ‘Social Websites Harm Children’s Brains’ is a non-fiction newspaper article from MAIL ONLINE. Semi-formal
language is used in the passage which is mainly intended for parents and children. The writer informs the reader about
the harmful effects and ‘’alarming changes’’ social media is causing in children and how their mental health should not
be dismissed by their parents.

Vocabulary used in the passage is simple, yet effective which makes it accessible to a wider audience of all age groups.
However, the author makes frequent use of jargons such as ‘’micro-blogging’’ and ‘’fight of flight’’ to create a sense of
authenticity and reliability in the reader’s mind. Such technical terminology appeals to the reader and is an example of
LOGOS which helps gain the reader’s trust as an impression of discernment in the author is given off.

Additionally, the author uses statistics which is an example of LOGOS. Statistics are used throughout such as when the
author says ‘’Over 150 million use Facebook’’. This alarms the reader as they are made aware of popularity of social
media.

Secondly, expert advice taken from Baroness Greenfield (Oxford University neuroscientist) and Jane Healy (Educational
psychologist) is added onto the passage to gain the reader’s trust as an impression of authenticity is given off and the
reader’s think that proper research has been done before relaying the information in the passage. Author also
generalizes that ‘’all psychologists and neuroscientists’’ have similar opinions on harmful effects of social media which
further convinces the reader.

There is a wide variety of figures of speech even though it is a semi-formal passage loaded with logical information.
Idiom is used in the passage when the authors talks about how Susan Greenfield’s ‘’disturbing read’’ will ‘’strike a chord’’
with parents who are worried about their children’s mental health. This engages the reader and makes a dramatic point
which will surely be embedded in the reader’s mind.

Onomatopoeia such as ‘’buzzing’’ and imagery is used when the author refers to the horrifying adjectives like
‘’butchering’’ and ‘’skinning’’ which leaves the reader in an unsettling position and evokes strong emotions of empathy
for the tormented animals. Both techniques help the reader visualize and remain hooked to the passage.

Furthermore, the author uses sensationalism by using triples such as ‘’killing, skinning, butchering’’. These adjectives
invoke a sense of outrage in the reader and connote a terrifying and frightening picture in the reader’s mind as they
begin to visualize the harsh treatment of animals.

The structure of the passage consists of 2 sentence paragraphs loaded with compound adjectives such as ‘’alarming
changes’’, ‘’disturbing read’’ and ‘’instant gratification’’ which keep the reader engaged and prevent the passage from
sounding dull and monotonous and the reader’s mood from becoming apathetic.

In conclusion, the passage successfully portrays its idea of how social media can be extremely dangerous to children by
referring to mental illnesses like autism and emotionally appealing to the audience by using tons of adjectives. It ends
strong by advising children to ‘’make real relations with people’’.
 AO3: Comparison Question By: Esha Shahzad 10-M

Extract A-‘it’s so over: cool cyber kids abandon social networking sites’ and extract B-‘Social Websites Harm Children’s
Brains’ are both non-fiction newspaper articles that talk about social media and use techniques to back up their
arguments.

The main idea of talking about social media in both passages is similar, however the content and purpose of both
passages is quite different. Extract A mainly informs the reader about how there is a decline in the use of social media
amidst youngsters and how it is getting more and more popular among adults who know exactly how to ‘’kill a youth
trend’’. On the other hand, Extract B informs the reader about harms and dangers of social media mainly in children and
how their ‘’social lives depend on iy’’. These habits can harness serious mental illnesses and can infantilize the brain.
Children should instead learn to ‘’make real relations with people’’.

Both passages are written for the purpose to inform the reader. Thos is evident by use of facts and expert advice in the
passage. However, extract A is intended for a more general audience compared to extract B which appeals mostly to
parents concerned about their childrens’ excessive use of social media.

As mentioned earlier, both authors make use of rhetorical techniques in the passage. Firstly, both authors use facts and
statistics in the passage. In extract A, there is a much broader use of statistics as a form of backing up the argument. This
is evident when the author compares the use of social media in children (declined from ‘’55% to 50 %’’) to that of adults
(40% to 46%). In extract B, the author mentions how ‘’Over 150 million people use Facebook’’ and how they should
instead opt for socializing without using their mobile phones and social media.

Secondly, expert advice is used in both passages to add weight to their argument and reinforce a point. It helps
manipulate the reader into believing that the authors are aware of what they are talking about. In extract A, advice from
Peter Phillips (regulator’s head of strategy) and James Thicket (director of market research) is taken who further prove
that how popularity of social media is increasing in adults, while the opposite is happening in children. In extract B,
expert advice from Baroness Greenfield (Oxford University neuroscientist) and Jane Healy (Educational psychologist)
who are both medical experts and stress on how extended periods of time on social media will cause a ‘’sharp decline’’
in their abilities.

The language of both passages is semi-formal. Extract A uses heavy and unique vocabulary such as ‘’proliferation’’ and
an allusion to ‘’exodus’’ is also made. Jargons such as ‘’cyber world’’ are also used. These techniques are a form of
LOGOS which create a sense of authenticity and reliability in the reader’s mind. On the other hand, extract B uses simple
vocabulary with multiple jargons such as ‘’fight or flight’’ and ‘’micro blogging’’ which add coherency in the passage and
an impression is given off to the audience that the author is fully aware of the subject.

Both passages make use of figures of speech. However, in extract A only uses metaphor – ‘’kill a youth trend’’ and
exaggeration – ‘’behind the explosion’’ which both engage the reader and make a dramatic point. In extract B, there is a
broader variety of figures of speech. Idiom such as ‘’strike a chord’’ are used instead of vague, simple phrases to engage
the reader and draw their attention to how alarming a recent study could be for parents. Examples of onomatopoeia
such as ‘’buzzing’’ and imagery such as ‘’killing’’ and ‘’skinning’’ can also be found which helps the reader visualize and
evokes a sense of empathy in the reader for the poor, tormented animals.

Furthermore, extract B uses triples such as ‘’killing, skinning and butchering’’ which paints a picture of absolute torture
in the reader’s mind and a simple process of making food is turned dramatic and empathy-seeking. In extract A, there is
an absence of trong adjectives and the focus is more on using professional help and statistics to prove a point.
The syntax of both passages is similar. They both use short paragraphs and short sentences to make it easier to read and
make the layout more visually and aesthetically appealing to the reader. It also helps the passage from sounding dull and
monotonous. Extract B also makes use of dashes which help separate a thought and allow the reader to pause and think
about the material provided in the passage.

In conclusion, both passages successfully talk about social media however, there purpose is achieved differently. Extract
A focuses on adults and tries to stop them from ‘’killing a youth trend’’ and Extract B focuses on ‘’alarming changes’’ to
children’s’ minds by excessive and constant use of social media.