Analysis Of The Great Gatsby By Laura Spinney

The Changing of Perspectives Through Writing

Laura Spinney uses a variety of persuasive components and techniques in the article, “How Facebook, fake news and friends are warping your memory”. She uses Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and a variety of arguments to get her point across. Persuasive components have different effects on different people and require skill to use effectively. Laura Spinney’s use of these components is fairly effective at convincing the reader that fake news and misinformation lead to altered memories that affect how people view the past and the future. Spinney uses a wide variety of evidence in a way that convinces readers to change their perspectives in a somewhat successful way. In this essay, I will critique Laura Spinney’s

persuasive skills and the overall effectiveness of the article.
Spinney starts off her article by giving an example of recent fake news that has impacted America and revolves around Donald Trump’s Administration. This eventually leads into the purpose of the article. She states that individual and collective memories can easily be distorted. Spinney also states, “Collective memories form the basis of history, and people's understanding of history shapes how they think about the future” (Spinney). The purpose of the article is to show how memory can be distorted and the effect that this has on our history and future. The article looks at how misinformation is created and how people respond to it, while using research and evidence from multiple sources to support the argument. It is also designed to offer potential solutions to the issues that misinformation can create. Spinney impacts readers’ perceptions about fake news through the use of the persuasive strategies previously mentioned.
Arguments vary in many ways. There are several different types of arguments, including definition, value, causal, proposal, and rebuttal. Laura Spinney uses causal arguments to show the reader that fake news and misinformation distorts memories, both collectively and individually, because it clouds one’s mind with false facts that stick and spread to others. Spinney states, “Collective memories form the basis of history, and people's understanding of history shapes how they think about the future” (Spinney). False information can easily corrupt these memories and change how one thinks about history and influence the future. This article displays the main defining trait of causal arguments, which is how one thing causes another thing to happen. In this article, the use of fake news is what causes false memories. For example, Laura Spinney uses a quote from psychologist Daniel Schacter that states, “The development of Internet-based misinformation, such as recently well-publicized fake news sites, has the potential to distort individual and collective memories in disturbing ways” (Spinney). Internet-based misinformation is the cause of distorted memories. This is a causal argument because one thing causes another. The quote clearly shows this. There is also a proposal argument in the article. When Spinney mentions possible solutions, she is using a proposal argument, in that she is proposing an action that will lead to a solution. For example, Spinney states, “Edelson and his team gave grounds for optimism when, in a 2014 follow-up to their earlier study, they reported that although some false memories are resistant to change, the people who hold them can nevertheless be influenced by credible information.” (Spinney) She uses this study to propose how credible information can often help to repair false memories in some way. Spinney is proposing an action that will have a desired effect on the problem. Spinney’s proposal is designed to bring about future action. This is essentially the definition of a proposal argument. The use of these various types of arguments helps to form the backbone of her persuasive article.
When persuading someone towards a point of view, it is essential that the author is seen as credible and trustworthy, also known as Ethos.

Spinney establishes her credibility by providing an abundance of evidence and research. For instance, she refers to research conducted by others by stating, “Groups can also distort memories. In 2011, Edelson, then at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, showed 30 volunteers a documentary” (Spinney). The goal of this experiment was to see how people conformed when in a group setting. Participants often conformed to the same false answers that other group members had given (Spinney). The use of experiments and statistical data significantly helps to build credibility. It helps to prove that the author did not just randomly make up information. It makes the article more believable and the author more

trustworthy.
Pathos is also essential to capturing a reader’s attention. Pathos refers to appealing to the reader’s emotions or beliefs, which helps to keep the reader engaged in the writing. Spinney did a decent job at using pathos. She loaded her writing with facts and research that made the article seem less emotion based, but she did harness the power of pathos in some ways. For example, Spinney refers to events that people have strong feelings about. She states, “During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, for example, concerns in the United States were stoked by a misconception that being in the same room as a person with the infection was enough to catch it” (Spinney). She specifically used this example of misinformation because she knew people would be interested in it. The Ebola outbreak was a recent event that people, both individually and collectively had strong feelings towards. Individuals were afraid of catching the disease and spreading it to loved ones. Institutions like schools and hospitals were on edge about maintaining order and keeping people safe. Spinney harnessed the emotion behind this event to help keep the readers interested. Pathos has a large impact on persuasive writing and the effectiveness of it.
Logos is another persuasive component that is present in most papers.

Logos refers to the appeal to the reader’s sense of logic. This is normally accomplished with the use of evidence and facts. Spinney has a strong presence of Logos in her article. It is full of various forms of evidence. For example, she states, “Memory convergence is more likely to occur within social groups than between them — an important finding in light of survey data suggesting that 62% of US adults get their news from social media, where group membership is often obvious and reinforced” (Spinney). This evidence helps to prove how popular social groups are. It uses survey data to appeal to one’s logic. When readers read this statistic, it makes logical sense based on their life experiences and other information previously stated in the article. This makes the article more believable because it just makes logical sense. Another example of Logos at work is when Spinney explains, “There's a less obvious corollary: related information that goes unmentioned is more likely to fade than unrelated material, an effect known as retrieval-induced forgetting” (Spinney). In this example of Logos, actual statistics are not used. This is simply a statement that makes perfect sense based on background knowledge and a little common sense. Unmentioned related information is more forgettable than unrelated information simply because unrelated information is more likely to stand out in one’s mind. Unrelated info is

more random and different, so it is remembered more easily. This argument is one that focuses on the reader’s logic and as a result, can be considered Logos. Without Logos, the article would seem irrational and even possibly harm the author’s credibility.
Laura Spinney used persuasive components in a fairly effective way, but there are some major flaws that could have easily been improved. The author had a strong presence of Ethos and Logos throughout the article, and used an abundance of facts to create a logical argument while also establishing credibility as an author. For instance, she used evidence from experts like “Micah Edelson, a memory researcher at the University of Zurich in Switzerland” (Spinney) and “psychologists Alin Coman at Princeton University in New Jersey and William Hirst of the New School for Social Research in New York City” (Spinney). Both of these researchers are well known and are from well-known universities. Their evidence is credible and as a result, it makes Laura Spinney seem more credible as an author. The evidence they provide is also logical and makes sense to most people. The strong presence of Ethos and Logos is the only thing actually making this piece persuasive. Spinney successfully used Ethos and Logos, but failed to use Pathos in a successful way. She used almost too many facts. The article was overloaded with various forms of research that made the writing feel boring with a lack of emotion. The only form of Pathos used was in the form of facts that carried emotional weight. She never used any personal stories to appeal to the reader’s emotion. She took context and purpose into account when creating this rhetorical situation, but failed to look at the participants and possible constraints. Spinney showed purpose and context by providing a wide variety of information and consistently referring to the effect of misinformation, but she failed to think about the participants or audience that would read her article. Her article is more designed towards educated people and not the common person. This is the main reason her writing lacks Pathos and is not a perfect persuasive piece. She also failed to look into constraints. The biggest constraint in this case is that not all people are interested in an endless stream of facts. The persuasive components of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos effects different people differently. As a result, authors have to tailor their stories to their specific audiences. In this case, Spinney’s article was tailored to educated people that can easily decipher research with critical reading skills. A little bit of emotion and creativity could have gone a long way by allowing the common person to relate more easily.