It Might Actually Be Good For Them By Clive Thompson Summary

In the essay, “Teenagers and Social Networking – It Might Actually Be Good for Them,” Clive Thompson argues that online socializing is a good tool for teenagers to use. He believes teenagers are using social media as a great way to communicate and create opportunities, and that it is something that teenagers should continue to use. He likewise believes that teenagers are still spending time with each other face to face and not solely just through social media or a text message. Thompson provides the reader with many examples, personal opinions, and data that was collected to help further his claim. Thompson’s argument appeals to reason because he gives many details and examples to help prove his claim, and is also successful in proving his argument because he appeals to parents emotionally.
One thing Thompson uses throughout his essay is logic. He uses logic to help back up his claim. First, he presents to the readers the data collected by Rebecca Eyon, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, who has interviewed about 200 British teenagers over three years. “As they gain experience with living online they
“Parents who stare non-stop at their phones and don’t read books are likely to breed kids who will do the same. As ever, we ought to scrutinize our own behavior” (Thompson 5). Thompson wants parents to understand that their children are watching them and learning from them. Thompson is also trying to get the parents to understand that they should probably put down their cell phones and pick up a book so that their child will not become so attach to their phones and social media. This emotional appeal should make parents look at what they’re doing and how it might affect their child’s behavior. This statement strengthens Thompson’s argument because it gives a personal opinion of what the author thinks and it furthermore creates an appeal to the reliability of the