Jill Carson

Professor Ferrara

ENGL 1001

11 November 2020

Why You Should Quit Social Media by Cal Newport

As social media becomes more and more prevalent in our daily lives, Cal Newport warns

against it. Newport, who has never owned a social media account in his life, is a computer

science professor at Georgetown University and an established author as he has written

numerous books regarding improving performance in the workplace. Newport explains that he

often preaches to others about quitting social media and in his TEDTalk speech, he lists and

debunks the three most common reasons one chooses to keep social media. In his argument, Cal

Newport presents the negative effects of social media and through rhetorical appeals, the shifting

tone of his speech, and logical reasoning, he urges his audience to quit social media.

To begin, Newport utilizes rhetorical appeals to emphasize his argument against social

media. First, he uses ethos to establish his credibility to the audience, a group of young

millennials who depend on social media. As mentioned earlier, Newport has never owned a

social media account and often encourages others to delete theirs. He explains that his first

experience with social media came during his college years when Facebook became popular. He

states that in a fit of jealousy, he refused to download the app as he did not want to support Mark

Zuckerberg’s business, and he is thankful for his decision. He notes that as time went on, he saw

“everyone [he knows] is hooked on this thing. And from the clarity you can get when you have

some objectivity, some perspective on it, [he] realized this seems a little bit dangerous” (Newport

01:01 - 01:11), signifying his experience in the matter. As an outsider looking in, he is able to
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witness, firsthand, the damaging effects social media may have on a person, which someone

actively using social media may not notice. Furthermore, Newport often encourages others to

quit social media, and he brings this experience into his argument. For example, throughout his

speech, Newport lists three arguments he commonly hears in previous conversations he has had

with those in favor of social media use and “for each of these objections, [he tries] to defuse the

hype and…push[es] in some more reality” (Newport 02:31 - 02:36). This demonstrates his

credibility as he not only already had this conversation with multiple people in the past, but also

as he is listing and disproving objections that come directly from people on the other side of his

argument. Cal Newport is definitely a credible source to speak about this topic as he has

experience off of social media and has experience talking about this subject multiple times

before.

However, one may argue that Newport having never owned a social media account is

actually working against his argument. Because of this, his argument can be seen as biased or

even lacking credibility. For instance, throughout the speech, Newport claims that he is much

more successful without ever owning a social media account. He states “​I am okay without social

media but I think I'm actually better off...I'm happier...I find more sustainability in my life...I've

been more successful professionally,” ​(Newport 01:46 - 01:58) ​which may come off as biased,

exemplifying the logical fallacy of hasty generalizations. How can Newport know that he is

happier, more sustained, and more successful without social media when he never had it in the

first place? He has nothing to compare his current feelings to. This is a very logical argument

against Newport’s experience with social media, or lack thereof. While this fallacy may hinder

Newport’s argument, his further use of rhetoric compensates for it.

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Moreover, Newport strategically shifts the tone of his speech from lighthearted to serious

in an effort to emphasize the importance of certain talking points. For instance, in the early

minutes of his speech, Newport sets the carefree tone through jokes and photos of unicorns or

children. Specifically, he flashes a photo of a unicorn on the screen behind him when he

describes himself as rare due to the fact that he is a millennial with no social media presence,

which his audience of millennials will most likely agree with (Newport 00:11 - 00:26). However,

later in the speech, the tone shifts from carefree to serious when he explains the negative effect

social media has on mental health. Newport states that increased social media use leads to a

higher likelihood of feeling “lonely or isolated...inadequate, and can increase rates of depression”

(09:12 - 09:31). In this section of his speech, Newport no longer makes jokes or uses amusing

photos to illustrate his ideas like he did in the beginning. This is definitely a serious, more

important talking about and Newport conveys this through a change in tone. Whereas he once

attempted to engage the audience through humor, he now attempts to engage the audience

through the significance of the conversation.

Lastly, Newport analyzes the rationale behind social media companies and utilizes logical

reasoning to convince his audience to abstain from social media. Specifically, he uses logos to

appeal to the audience’s logic and rationality. For example, he first points out the motive behind

social media platforms and how they affect you. He explains that social media is designed to be

addictive, and research shows that spending “large portions of your day in a state of fragmented

attention...can permanently reduce your capacity for concentration” (Newport 08:08 - 08:36).

The motive behind social media companies, paired with the research presented, engages the

audience and appeals to logos. Newport implores his audiences to think rationally about their

own relationship with social media and urges them to consider deleting their accounts.
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Additionally, Newport further appeals to logos when he compares social media use to a slot

machine. He explains “​it's one thing to spend a couple of hours at a slot machine in Las Vegas,

but if you bring one with you...pull that handle all day long, from when you wake up to when

you go to bed…It short-circuits the brain...it has actual cognitive consequences” ​(Newport 09:47

- 10:00). Social media seems like such a fundamental part of our daily lives that it may be hard

for one to understand just how harmful it can be. However, by using an analogy, Newport makes

it easier for the audience to understand. Simpler terms allows the audience to think about and

understand the situation easily, and one can infer that they will conclude that it seems ridiculous

to carry a slot machine with you at all times. Thus, they will agree with Newport and he has

effectively conveyed his argument.

In conclusion, Newport effectively presents his argument to quit social media through the

use of rhetorical devices such as ethos and logos, and by shifting his tone throughout his speech

to emphasize points of particular importance. He establishes his credibility by speaking of his

experience in arguing this topic, his changing tone throughout the speech highlights the

significance of certain ideas, and he analyzes the rationale of social media companies and creates

simple examples in an effort to urge his audience to think logically and consider deleting their

social media accounts. In sum, Cal Newport is effective in his persuasive argument for others to

quit social media.

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Works Cited

Newport, Cal. “Why You Should Quit Social Media.” ​TED,​ TED, June 2016,

www.ted.com/talks/cal_newport_why_you_should_quit_social_media​.