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Kate Secrest
Christen Enos
ENGW 1111
30 September 2015
Reviewing the process of writing my rhetorical analysis, I can confidently say that
it had a strong positive affect on my writing. Not only did I gain a better understanding of
the writing process in general, but through the peer reviews I also gained a better
understanding of how to effectively give and receive criticism for the betterment of an
essay.
Structuring an essay is something that I have always struggled with, and going
through the process of making an outline, writing a rough draft, and reflecting on
mistakes made in the rough draft has significantly impacted my ability to structure a
paper. Laying out an outline was a very useful tool that I will apply to my writing in the
future as I continue to work towards the improvement of my structuring skills.
The peer review process also helped me tremendously. Having multiple people
read and reflect on my writing was a very effective way for me to acknowledge and
understand the mistakes that I was making in my essay. In addition to this, by reading
other students essays, I was able to see which tools and tactics worked and didnt work
and which ones I could use to enhance my own writing. I gained a lot of helpful insight
from my peers that served as an outside perspective on my essay and the topic I was
analyzing. Writing my own peer reviews also helped me gain a better understanding of
the topics at hand and how they can be used effectively or ineffectively.

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The True Damage of Social Media

Social media can best be described as societys most adored vice. Eileen Curran
describes this paradox in her article Overcoming FOMO. Overcoming FOMO, published
on the website The Odyssey, is a short but complex document. The Odyssey is a website
that publishes many articles similar to Currans and shares them with its readers, mainly
adolescents. Curran provides a great deal of information through her document about
social media and how it affects the moods and actions of todays youth. Her feelings
towards social media and FOMO, or the fear of missing out, are effectively portrayed
through the rhetorical elements she uses throughout the article. According to the author
FOMO goes far beyond that simple fear of what goes on when one misses an event and
actually affects how people act when they attend events as well. To Curran, this is a
problem that can be solved if people look past the walls that social media has created and
revert to genuine interactions with their peers. Upon first examination, Overcoming
FOMO, appears to be a simple document written to voice frustrations about the digital
age; however, a closer look reveals a complex network of elements that work together to
further the authors argument about why the digital age is causing so many problems in
the lives of youth today.
When examining Overcoming FOMO, a thorough examination of the rhetorical
situation is necessary in order to understand the purpose and goals of the document.
Given the fact that she discusses social media and its effects on this generation many
times throughout the article, it is easy to assume that she wrote this document in response
to the digital age and the dominance of social media in the lives of teenagers today. Being
that the author herself is a new college student, she has recently begun to see the effects

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of FOMO more than ever as it has affected her and her peers. This has also given her a
sense of exigency to write the article. One example of the author highlighting this
exigency is when she states, It needs to stop when discussing how social media has
caused a decrease in genuine human interaction (Curran). This short sentence highlights
the point in a very demanding way. By doing this she is drawing attention to the fact that
by not giving this problem the proper attention it merits, these problems in society will
only become more prevalent.
The authors call to write being a new college student creates a very interesting
relationship between her and her audience. Her use of middle and low diction and slang
words such as FOMO makes it clear that she is aiming her piece towards college-aged
kids (Curran). She also refers to many college scenarios such as nights out at a bar,
GPAs, and studying abroad. It is important that Curran aims her document at collegeaged kids not only because that is whom the problem mainly affects, but also because that
is the audience targeted by the specific website where her article was published. As
previously stated, The Odyssey is a website that publishes content mainly for the
enjoyment of younger readers. By publishing her content through this website, she is
specifically targeting that age group. Being that it is a solely electronic source as well, the
readers that will have access to her article are more likely to be the ones who are more
dependent on social media. This is due to the fact that people who spend their time
reading publications on the Internet as opposed to print sources are probably spending
more time on social media sites as well. This means that Curran is specifically targeting
the audience that could gain the most from her message.

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In order to address her audience and make sure her message is received, it is
important that Curran utilized an effective genre. This piece can be classified as both a
persuasive essay and an informative essay. It is persuasive in that she is trying to
encourage her audience to not let social media affect their self-worth. It also has an
informative nature in the way that she informs the audience about what FOMO is and
about how it can be related back to social media. In writing this article, the author hopes
to both inform the audience on what exactly FOMO is and how exactly it is affecting this
generation in a negative way. Declaring the negative effects of social media on the social
lives of individuals and persuading readers to rethink the role social media plays in their
lives are both ways that the author advances her purpose.
Currans purpose in writing this article was to not only motivate readers to
challenge the role they allow social media in their lives, but to also provoke a change in
the habits of the readers. She unmistakably states the purpose of her article from the
beginning of the document with the title. It is the largest font on the page so it
immediately draws attention. In the title she states Overcoming FOMO as to suggest
that this piece will provide ways for this reader to surmount their reliance on social media
(Curran). In doing this it is clear that her purpose is to make sure her readers understand
that FOMO is indeed a real problem that affects nearly everyone, but that there are also
ways to put an end to it. The subheading of the article goes back to the informative nature
of the article by saying The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is consuming our generation
(Curran). This serves as a way to not only give readers a definition of the term FOMO,
but also serves as a broad overview to the effects that FOMO has.

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The stylistic choices the author makes are perhaps the most important way she
targets her audience and promotes her purpose. She author uses the phrase our
generation to directly relate herself with the readers (Curran). In doing this, she also
creates a sense of credibility with her readers. She also switches between first and second
person point of view to help the reader relate to the situation. When she says, I admit it.
I definitely have suffered from FOMO she directly correlates herself with the reader
making sure they know that in writing this article she is not putting herself above the
situation (Curran). She also calls for the reader to reflect on their own experiences with
FOMO when she asks How many times do you see a group at dinner or at the bars and
at least half of the people at the party have their eyes glued to their phones? (Curran). In
doing this, she is making the reader realize that FOMO is indeed affecting their lives in a
negative way. She is also using pathos as a way to appeal to the readers emotions as they
reflect on the impact social media has had on their own lives.
The author chose many specific design elements in this document that both
further her argument and better address her audience. The first notable design choice is
this photograph that she uses at the beginning of the document.

The picture shows a scene from the popular social networking site Facebook. In the
picture, the user has many notifications including friend requests and multiple messages.

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This image may invoke in the reader a familiar feeling of popularity and status that
comes with multiple social media notifications. Upon examining the photo and the
reaction the photo invokes within the reader, it is easy to assume that placing this
photograph in the document was a way to make a statement about the ways in which the
upcoming generation allows social media to control their emotions and self-image. The
use of bold-faced font is another design element that the author uses throughout the
document to stress her argument against social media and its effects on this generation.
The first time bold font appears in the text is when she poses the question Why is
FOMO such a big issue for people our age? (Curran). She chooses to bold this sentence
because this is the question that is driving the whole document so it is important that the
readers pay attention to it. The next line also contains another bolded sentence that reads,
I blame social media (Curran). This is equally as important as this sentence serves as
the answer to the question she proposed in the previous line. It also represents the theme
for the rest of the document.
The author uses a variety of different tones throughout the document to describe
her feelings and ideas on the topic. She begins the piece with a witty and somewhat
humorous tone as she describes her own experiences with FOMO and asks the readers to
reflect on nights where they have felt similar feelings. Once she makes the bold statement
It needs to stop her tone shifts to one that is more serious and declarative (Curran). She
becomes firmer on her stance and declares the negative effects of FOMO more fervently.
Her tone shifts one last time in the last sentence. Her final sentence I hope that,
someday, I can be confident enough in my decisions to realize that FOMO is not
something that can control me, my grades, or my social life is a good way that she,

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while relaying the message back on herself, also points out for one last time the negative
effects that FOMO can have on the individual (Curran). Her tone in this final sentence is
optimistic showing how in writing this article, she is hoping to invoke some sort of
change among her readers. This is one among many ways that she portrays her purpose
and goals throughout the document.
Through her article, Curran very openly lays out the problems that reside in the
fact that people today have become too consumed with technology. Curran does a good
job of using these elements cohesively and effectively so that the entire document works
to support her viewpoint and enhance her argument. The most important element of the
document is her own self-reflection where the author herself chooses to not let social
media take a toll on her own life. She says, No longer will I let FOMO be the end of
both my GPA and me. No longer will I wish to be somewhere that I am not (Curran). In
doing this she is showing how she hopes that her message will inspire her readers to take
her advice and make a similar change in their own lives.

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Works Cited
Curran, Eileen. "Overcoming FOMO." The Odyssey. N.p., 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Sept.
2015.