The Importance Of Civic Hacking

Bracy’s article also features content meant to persuade. The majority of the text is focused on civic hacking; this may seem like an informative move, but the underlying motive is actually to persuade the audience of the importance of the practice. Once Bracy convinces her audience of the importance of civic hacking, it is much easier for her to convince it of her plea to join Code for America. Giving specific examples, such as the Honolulu Answers site (Bracy), leads to a relatable example of everyday instances of civic hacking; creating an easily relatable form of the speech allows a much easier way to grasp an audience’s attention and allegiance. This instance is also an example of logos used in her speech. Since it is a project that has

been genuinely completed and successful, it is considered to be a verified fact and appeals to the audience’s logical side, generating a seemingly promising idea because of the factuality of the situation. Exemplifying Benjamin Franklin is an example of ethos seeing as he is a well-known figure and can impress the audience. With Franklin’s credibility and close ties to the founding of America, nearly all people would be inclined to believe he is a uncommonly respectable figure, which is exactly how Bracy is trying to characterize hackers. Also associated with the American ideology, Bracy uses patriotism as a form of pathos. Americans often feel a strong sense of patriotism towards their country that Bracy effectively utilizes to manipulate the audience. With a strong emotional connection to the foundation of Bracy’s cause, it is much easier for her to convince readers that they must uphold the commitments that they have made to their home country and leave them with a need to fulfill those emotional obligations. Bracy’s use of literary devices helps to persuade the audience of the important role of civic hacking and the need for additional hackers.
The content of Bisson’s article appears to be informative, but the focus of the article actually sways people to formulate a negative opinion of black hat hacking.

References to Beddoes’ hacks (Bisson) evoke resentment among readers; they see that black hat hackers gain more by participating in illicit activities than honest citizens do in a year of work, causing them to feel as if it is unfair to themselves because they are stealing from honest citizens like most readers would be. Also, in emphasizing the damages done by black hat hackers and the mysterious backgrounds they often seem to come from, fuel is added to the fire of an already negative connotation. As the other two articles mention, the common perception of hackers is that they are rebellious teenagers out to destroy the world regardless of the channel used. The background described in this article supports those theories when Beddoes speaks of his past as a teenager who started out with an innocent interest in hacking and then transitions into a rebellious malicious hacker after being rejected by the companies that he was trying to assist. Beddoes’ ethos also supports the goal of the article because he is a credible, well-established hacker in recent years. After almost pulling off a multimillion dollar heist, he is a respected yet accessible authority on the topic. Statistics to quantify the amount of data Beddoes stole in his hacking career provide the base to an argument supported by logos. Referring to those numbers also evokes strong emotions in accordance with the amount of people losing money and being victimized by hackers. Readers are inclined to feel sympathy towards the victims of the hackers, evoking an even greater amount of resentment towards the hackers. The content of Bisson’s article effectively supports a negative reaction to

hacking.
The content of the three articles is largely varied when compared to their audiences. All three articles use different tactics to persuade readers. Spisak’s article relies heavily on examinations of various positive uses for hacking. Bracy’s article realies heavily on exemplification and description of instances involving positive hacking. Bisson’s article relies heavily on the credibility of his interviewee. The three articles also use different forms of ethos. While Spisak features a reputable man within the public industry, Mark Zuckerberg, Bracy references a well-known public figure, Ben Franklin, and Bisson’s interview features a shady figure that works behind the screen, Matthew Beddoes. Pathos is also differing in its use throughout the trio of articles. Spisak uses pathos associated with black hat hackers to draw in her audience, while Bracy uses a patriotic vibe and Bisson takes a different angle by arousing readers’ sympathy for the victims of the hackers. However, the three articles use logos in much the same way. Utilized to provide a factual basis for their claims, the logos is commonly exhibited in the form of statistics about the amount of hacking done and the nature of the hacking. When compared, the three articles’ content functions in much the same way but ends with unique results.
This trio of articles, despite different viewpoints, uses content to zone in on a specific audience to communicate their point. Spisak’s audience includes people who are in opposition of hacking; she catches their attention by alluding to the stereotypical hacker profile. Bracy’s audience includes tech-savvy citizens she is hoping to persuade to join her cause; she pulls them in by relating previous success stories. Bisson’s audience includes hacking enthusiasts; he snags their focus by featuring an infamous black hat, Matthew Beddoes. The three articles all target audiences that are affected by hacking. Spisak utilizes her content by informing readers about positive types of hacking. Bracy persuades readers with her content by relating anecdotes about hacking’s positive impact. Bisson sways his audience by using factual evidence and highlighting the word of an expert in the field. The trio of articles utilize their content to prove three diverse points. Though meant to underhandedly manipulate their audiences, the three articles pose radically interesting thoughts and stimulate interest in the hacking industry.