Thursday, April 2, 2015

TOW #19 Fanboys by Lessley Anderson

On the Verge, Lessley Anderson describes her experiences and interviews professionals in order to understand the fanboy mentality. Specifically towards smartphones. Anderson uses many testimonial evidences to try and clarify where fanboys come from. What makes them so extreme? Etc, etc. She uses many internet hosted pros such as Michael Fischer and Aaron Baker, very prolific and very popular geeks in the smartphone space. Anderson also uses many rhetorical questions as transitions in order to improve the flow of her writing. Questions like, "But smartphones?" and "So why do it?" allows Anderson to lead the reader into directions that aren't necessarily related to what she was just talking about, but still important to the overall article. She uses these questions as a way to control the pace and the flow. Anderson has complete control over her writing and it allows her to explain what she wants when she wants, whether for dramatic effect or humor. She also makes use of anonymous Twitter tweets in order to strengthen her position. By using random, unprofessional quotes as evidence of her point, it makes the overall read much lighter feeling and nuanced, as opposed to something dry and overly official sounding you would find in filibustered  politics.

Lessley is very clear, very controlling and at the same time, very unsure. She lacks a solid viewpoint on the topic, which for an informational piece is fine, but by the end the "so what?" does not really get to me. I'm only left with the opinion that fanboys are bad, but sometimes can't help being bad. There is a lack of self-reflection I get to achieve on my own.

But again, as an informational piece, not a persuasive or argumentative one, the lack of necessity makes it a minor flaw in an overall great essay.

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