The Overly Documented Life- AJ Jacobs

AJ Jacobs writes an essay called “The Overly Documented life,” and is now by far one of my favorite essays I’ve read. He portrays the benefits and the dangers of digitally recording his everyday life utilizing stories, pictures, and an interacting tone. Technology is continuing to advance in many ways that can benefit our society. For example, technology can provide easy access to information, improve communication, and encourages innovation. However, as a result of technology advancement, we suffer from simple things such as competency, loneliness, and laziness. AJ Jacobs perfectly experiments the use of technology and questions whether overly documenting one’s life has more pros than cons. AJ Jacobs utilizes pathos in his stories to depict the negative effects of recording every moment of his life. He recreates the scene in his writing describing a fight that he had with his wife. They had a category 5 fight over who ordered Mexican food. After a couple days, he showed her a recording of their argument seeing who was right, in order to “improve their marriage. “Seconds after the footage was replayed, they got even more mad at each other. Through this story, AJ Jacobs implements sympathy into his audience because ruining a marriage with a loved one is sorrowful. Furthermore, the pictures of AJ Jacob’s wife upset enforces more emotions within the audience. However, there was an incidence where three people got into a conversation on how to pronounce the word Qatar. Afterward the blonde woman was worried she was overly rude to a man. AJ Jacobs states that he had a recording of the conversation, later sent it to her. She was not rude to him at all, and emailed him “Thanks for making my day!” This not only portrays the benefits of recording daily life, but it also implements gladness into the emotions of the audience.  In addition, pictures within the essay keep his readers interacted with his writing. Pictures of his son trying to lie about not putting food on a chess board promotes humor. Although AJ Jacobs does list both pros and cons of recording his everyday life, in his conclusion, he states that he is a camera. His memory is getting worse and worse because of his reliance on technology. There are benefits to recording every moment, but he is becoming a part of his camera.

Can Social Media Resolve Social Divisions? Inquiry Essay?

“Can Social Media Resolve Social Divisions,” written by danah boyd does not read as an inquiry essay because the author performs neither an experiment nor an exploration. Reading this essay, it is more of an analytic and observatory paper on the social divisions in modern society. The beginning of this essay observes an issue and presents different groups of people that are analyzed, but no other question is being asked. Rather than an inquiry essay, it is more of a rhetorical essay. Danah states that technology can be and was made to be a tool to end social division. However, she claims that the existence of technology neither creates nor magically solves cultural problems. Boyd writes, “In fact, their construction typically reinforces existing social divisions.” She utilizes pathos when describing stories of black or Asian students. Hateful comments from racist students that the author included manipulates the audience to sympathize (possibly even empathize). Boyd also discusses segregation in everyday life and states the comforts of human nature. Technology makes it possible to socialize with a variety of different cultures, but people tend to connect with those they know and with whom they have the most in common. The author uses a lot of examples and clear distinctions that support her claim that racial divisions are existing. Another example she uses is the distinction between Myspace and Facebook. The essay describes white students moving on to a newer and cooler Facebook, while the “ghetto” were still lingering within the old and boring Myspace. Facebook and Myspace have such big culture gaps that people start to categorize identities among social media. Danah Boyd finishes her essay by making a bold statement, “We don’t live in a postracial society, and social media is not the cultural remedy that some people hoped it would become… Instead, it lays bare existing and entrenched social divisions.” At the end of this essay, boyd does answer the question: the answer to the title. However, it seems to me as though it is not an inquiry essay.

Inquiry Topic

To complain is to express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event. Who likes to listen to someone complain? Not only does complaining stimulate negativity, but it also portrays a lack of humility and gratefulness. I believe that complaints are a huge social problem in modern society. Students can’t go a day without whining about free education, people who live in America especially cannot go hours without using the words “I’m starving,” and kids nowadays cannot go a day without being entertained. Not only is this a problem we are surrounded with, but it is especially an issue that I struggle with. Too many times throughout the day do I say, “I’m bored, I have so much homework, I’m tired, I’m hungry.” Can I even go a day without grumbling? This is the issue that I will be experimenting on, because I want to test myself. Not only to people who complain stress me out, but I stress myself out the most. From this experiment, I would like to break my habit of complaining and/or be more cautious and aware with my thoughts. A past New Year’s Resolution of mine was to be more thankful in all circumstances. However, whining is nowhere similar to being grateful. My experiment will last a week long and this is the rule that I will abide by: from day to night I will try my best not to complain, and if I do, I will record the number of times I do it.  Every day I will come up with new ideas to decrease my source of complaining. For accurate experimental purposes, I will have reliable friends throughout the day updated and point out any complaints I am unaware of. Psychologists are experts that have knowledge on this issue to describe the cause and side effects of complaining. They also certainly may have advice. In my writing, I will also include observations throughout class, in my dorm, and group events to see how often people easily complain. I do not think my experiment will be successful, nor will I never complain again, but I do believe I will accomplish to control my thoughts and words more.