Erica Krohn
English 101
Professor Rodgers
7 March 2019
Compare / Contrast Mini Essay
The videos entitled, “Can We Auto-Correct Humanity?” by Prince EA and “I Forgot My Phone,” by charstarleneTV both attempt to warn their intended audience about the dangers of technology. This is done by using various persuasive strategies which challenge the audience to limit the time they spend on their cell phones. Both videos are similar in the sense that they effectively deliver the same message, however, each video utilizes different persuasive strategies. Prince EA strengthens his argument through the use of statistics, irony, and by applying a second person approach with a serious tone. CharstarleneTV appeals to the audience’s emotion through the use of pathos, uses a first person point of view and develops a sympathetic tone through the use of different consequential scenarios to build her angle on the subject.
“Can We Auto-Correct Humanity” uses a very direct approach towards illustrating the issues regarding cell phone usage. Throughout the video, Prince EA embodies a serious, aggressive tone and addresses the audience directly. This makes the audience feel as if his words are more personal to them as well as gives his message a sense of urgency. Right off the bat, he begins by saying, “Did you know the average person spends 4 years of his life looking down at his cell phone?” By providing this statistic, Prince EA is able to draw in the audience with this surprising piece of information. Once he has the audience’s attention, EA has now set himself up to discuss the problem at hand. He then moves towards his next persuasive technique: irony. “Kinda ironic, ain’t it,” he states. “How these touch screens can make us lose touch.” The use of irony allows EA to take a jab at technology while incorporating humor. By doing this, the tone of the video remains serious yet light, and EA is able to bring attention to a pressing manner.
“I Forgot My Phone” begins in a more subtle manner by opening up with the image of the main character and who appears to be her boyfriend waking up together in the morning. One minor detail to take notice of: her boyfriend is on his phone while the main character is simply lying awake. The video proceeds by projecting the main character going about her day, except she forgets her cell phone at home. Throughout the day, she engages in various activities such as hiking, going out to eat, witnessing a proposal at the beach, swinging on a swing set, and many more. While these events are typically very enjoyable things to do, people were constantly focused on their cell phones throughout the entire day- taking away from what would have otherwise been wonderful moments. By depicting the negative consequences of cell phone usage, charstarleneTV uses pathos to strengthen her message. In one scene, the main character was bowling with a group of friends and got a strike. When she returned back to her friends to celebra...
