1ST Article
Title of Article
How Gamergate Pioneered the Backlash Against Diversity. The Walrus, p.1-12.
Type of Article
Editorial
Author/s
The author is Lauren Mckoen, an editor at walrus.
Date and place of publication
September 11, 2017. The article was published in The Walrus magazine.
Stakes
Mckoen as an editor. She writes about issues facing women in society. Therefore, her passion for making sure women get a voice makes her deductions credible.
Topic:
The article is about the position of women in the video games and tech world.
Central Argument or Claim
The author states that the tech world has become male-dominated to the extent that women are being phased out.
Key Supporting Claims
Most of the men in the tech world perceive women in these fields as opportunists who would do anything to get to the top of their careers. Therefore, women do not get equal opportunities to exercise their skills because of the threats they get for making any progress in this field.
Evidence
For instance, a woman by the name Brenda Gershkovitch started getting rape threats immediately she launched a game meant for women and girls. Reason being, people believed that gaming was not intended for women.
Key concepts introduced
The article highlighted the concept of feminism which is equal rights for both men and women. The other concept is misogamy which refers to a dislike for women.
Your critical thoughts on or engagement with this article
The article thoroughly addressed the issue of women's discrimination in the field of technology. Men have always looked down on women in this field, but the problem has never been given enough limelight. Men need to accept that women are as good as them in this field and even better. Therefore, the society needs to embrace the fact that women are also capable of performing the same tasks, and they should have the opportunity to showcase their skills.
Critical Notes
- Men are not comfortable with women in the gaming industry
- Majority of women are receiving threats after succeeding in this industry
- People are not speaking out about the issue of discrimination of women in the technology industry2nd Article
Title of Article
Have smartphones destroyed a generation? The Atlantic, p.1-19.
Type of Article
Editorial
Author/s
Twenge Jean, psychologist
Date and place of publication
The article was covered in the Atlantic Daily and published in September 2017
Stakes
The author is a psychology professor. Therefore, her input on this topic is credible because she has a better understanding of the issue.
Topic:
The article seeks to analyze the connection between psychological distress and the use of smartphones among teenagers.
Central Argument or Claim
Nowadays, teenagers have become highly irresponsible with their lives. Most of their time is spent on social media, and this is the leading cause of depression.
Key Supporting Claims
The current economy rewards academic achievement and not work history. Therefore, most teenagers do not see the need to take up adulthood responsibilities which will involve them going out and interacting with people. Hence, they have so much time to spend in their rooms surfing the web.
Evidence
The author records that the rate of suicide among teenagers has skyrocketed since the year 2011. The total number of teenage suicide was three times higher in 2015 than in 2007 (p.14). In a survey aimed at accessing how social media made the teenagers happy, 48% of the girls said that social media made them feel left out after seeing their friends having fun without them.
Key concepts introduced
The article revolves around the concept of depression which is a mental disorder linked with a decrease in inequality.
Your critical thoughts on or engagement with this article
The article thoroughly analyzed the effects of the lack of immediate interaction in the daily lives of teenagers. Personal engagements are effective in helping develop a sense of belonging to society and hence making it easier to avoid depression. The author was very elaborate on the findings used to back up the claims.
Critical Notes
- Teens are not responsible
- The current economy rewards educational achievement and not work history
- Kids spend most of their time on the internet
- Those who spend more of their time on social media are not as happy
- The rates of suicide among teens are higher in this generation than among the previous generations
