Critical Reflection

This essay proved to be easier but more demanding than the past three. Because it was sort of a critical reflection on a problem that I had over the last three essays, writing a critical reflection feels weird. But none the less, I felt like my portrait of a writer essay struggled in some areas and excelled in some others. With the combined stress of finals and the final portfolio, it was difficult and stressful when writing this last essay. Although I was presented with some outside issues, I felt like my understanding of the topic of this essay was much better compared to the third. What helped me a lot in this essay was the fact that I had to rewrite my third essay for a better grade, which helped me develop my problem and investigate it in depth for my final essay. This allowed me to get some hardcore evidence to help my final essay, but also gave me an opportunity to look into what I could improve in my fourth essay. I feel like finding evidence and examples was difficult in the fourth essay because my topic was not necessarily writing based, it was more comprehension. This means that my problem was not something that was fixed with a change of grammar or length of sentences, etc. but instead was something that impacted the essay and all the rest down the line. But I thought I dealt with this problem well and found some solid evidence to help earn my point. The weaknesses that I think my essay has is the word choice in which I tried to argue and explain things, I was often stumped and experienced a bit of writer’s block that restrained me from getting the exact word or phrase I wanted down on paper. Altogether, I thought the fourth essay was not my best, but definitely not my worst.

Looking Back

Throughout the second semester, there are many problems that I faced, but within those I have identified an issue with my writing that has caused my essays to miss the mark. This problem stems from a lack of willingness to gather and find good sources of evidence. My writing process has evolved over the course of my time at college. I have developed and added to my writing process, but the biggest issue with my writing remains to be understanding the topic, causing the rest of my essay to fail to hit the mark.

The writing process is the series of events that you follow when you write a paper or story. There are important steps that you take or follow in the writing process that can cause your paper to execute its purpose, but when one of those steps is not completed or is completed with minimal effort, it can derail the rest of the essay. This has been a problem for my writing this semester, especially in the persuasive essay. The topic is at the beginning of the writing process for everyone, it may be after research or a question, but it is always near the start. Understanding the entirety of the topic is important in order to formulate the rest of your writing, and I have not been fulling comprehending what the topic is asking before establishing my thesis. Although in order to formulate a thesis you need to see the topic, if you put together a thesis before recognizing what the topic is really asking, it can lead to poor writing. Another problem I have faced throughout my second semester is caused from not understanding the topic. My research and questioning or lack thereof, has been misleading and does not always directly correlate to the topic. For example, the persuasive essay I wrote had very little evidence that would have added depth to my writing. Consequently, this has led to many mistakes and lapses in my writing. In order to counteract these, I need to take a longer time looking over and outlining my topics and then develop and write my thesis leading to finding supportive and helpful sources and evidence.

The first essay that was assigned and written during the second semester was an exploratory essay. An exploratory essay is in part a guide or process through which you chose a problem and then how and where you then went for research in order to learn and teach about the topic. Unlike the other two essays, I felt very confident with this paper. After going over the topic and how to exactly write the essay in class, I found myself very well prepared to write a strong essay while accomplishing all the tasks at hand. For example, when transitioning from the first paragraph talking about Video-Game-Addiction,org I included a transitional phrase in order to signal to the reader that I was changing approaches to the question, helping to guide the reader and walk them through my research process. I started this transitional phrase with “After being reinforced by the article from Video-Game-Addiction.org I started looking for an article that would help draw some attention to the social media and networking side of addiction and its consequences” (Gustafson Essay 1). By adding this transition, the reader is now aware that I have switched from looking at social consequences of a gaming addiction to the results of social media and networking addiction. By understanding the topic of this first essay, I was able to add a strong transition between two different articles that accomplished the main goals of guiding the reader though my research process. After feeling confident with the preparation that class and my instructor meeting, the first essay came out good because I understood the topic and then wrote my thesis statement based on the ideas that I had developed. And because this essay was an exploratory one, where the evidence and sources are found for the rest, it was important to use strong sources. As previously mentioned, I was not very diligent in this part of my first essay, and it caused problems down the road when writing the research-based persuasive essay. Although this essay came out well, I was less prepared and confident with the second essay and its topic due to lack of diligence.

The second essay, a rhetorical analysis and evaluation, saw the lack of effort that I put into the first essay and started causing problems. I was able to put together different parts and throw in extra information to fill the gaps in the content that was contributed by my evidence and sources. Furthermore, because I had to compensate for my lack of effort in the exploratory essay, my ability to comprehend the topic of the second essay was affected. I did not have the required and necessary sources, so I was not able to answer and fully accomplish the mission of the topic, and instead was more focused on filling in the gaps that my essay already had. The first problem occurred in the thesis statement, “by utilizing a strategy of connecting many young adults to a familiar and relatable topic, the author succeeds in persuading his audience of university students that detoxification from social media can have many positive effects” (Gustafson essay 2). The clear and ongoing problem with my thesis was that it was confusing, like much of my word choice in the rest of the paper, on who the audience was. This was a problem throughout the entire paper, but a place where my essay saw strengths in direct relation to the essay was in my analysis of evidence. For example, I used one of our class discussions about presenting evidence that people can relate or associate other people within order to prove their point. I do this by inputting a comparison, “he uses these tests for the same reason that you need evidence at a trial, it is very hard to simply just trust someone, if they are to present evidence proving their point, you have no choice but to trust them because their side can be supported” (Gustafson essay 2). Taking one of our in-class discussions regarding the credibility of someone, I inserted a comparison to earn my point, showing that I understood the topic and what it was asking. I referred to the weakness of my thesis and how it lacked to specify who the audience was, and then counteracted it with an example of strong analysis, to show the high and low points of my paper. Revealing how I struggled to answer the topic in one part of my essay, and then knew exactly how to answer it in the other, shows that I was confused about some parts of what the topic was asking, and completely understood others. Eventually, my lack of understanding when it comes to the topics of the papers that has caused my essays to become less productive, can be credited to an unwillingness to collect the necessary sources of evidence.

The research-based persuasive essay is completely based on earning the point of your argument, and that is difficult when you have a small amount of usable evidence to support your claim. I was not able to answer and complete many parts of the essay because when the topic obviously expected and asked for it, I did not have the evidence to accomplish it. Although I did have one source and a survey, it is difficult to win an argument and prove your point if you only use the information and data from one scientific article and a survey conducted by yourself. For example, the scientific process was created to make scientists add evidence that supports their conclusion. Furthermore, the lab reports and scientific articles include some form of writing on how the experiment, study, etc. was done. This is because the peers that look through the article can replicate the experiment to make sure and sometimes correct your data and conclusion. Without the application of evidence that supports what you are saying, people will not be on the same side as you. Although some people may find it easy to agree with you, you have to earn your point. Frequently throughout the third essay I was making more suggestive and plain claims that were based on basic knowledge, hoping for the audience to agree (Gustafson Essay 3). The problem with this is that the audience is not able to fully agree with you, even though you may have a point and it is self-explanatory, you need to have hard core evidence, which my essay did not have. This lack of evidence made it hard to understand how I was supposed to succeed and be on topic for the entire essay when I did not have the necessary points to do so. And this lac of evidence is from being lazy but also not understanding the impact of the first topic and how it would play into my others.

Obviously, the problem of understanding my topic has led to challenges with the research I do and questions I ask throughout the writing process, but there are ways to deal with this problem. First is being diligent when you are beginning the writing process. What I mean by this is making sure that the right amount of time and effort is spent writing and doing research, such as collecting enough quality sources and writing down the direction that you think your thesis is going to go. At the beginning of the first essay, I had already developed and made the decision on what I wanted to argue and try to convince people of, and if I had written that down and gathered sources and evidence that aligned with that side, less time would have been spent trying to find sources that could help my argument. Lastly, using individual meetings with my professor to enhance my comprehension of exactly what the essay was looking for and how to best accomplish it. Developing a series of questions that relate to past, present and future challenges, and roadblocks that my paper may encounter is crucial when talking with my professor. These questions would help me pinpoint exactly where I struggled in past essays, where to improve in current ones, and how to excel in future ones. These are just some fixes that could have the most impact on my papers, but there are others that would help as well.

When you cut corners on an assignment that will have an impact and be built upon, it is hard to recover. Therefore, because I did not understand that I needed to find strong evidence and multiple supportive and recognizable sources from the topic provided to me, this lapse caused my future writing to struggle and be impaired from what those topics asked and what the evidence needed to supply.

Works Cited

Gustafson, Mason. “Consequence or Benefit.” Papers of Mason Gustafson, 2022.

—, Encouraging Less Addiction. Papers of Mason Gustafson, 2022.

—. “Social Media Addiction Survey.” Gustafson Independent Survey, 10 April 2022, Survey 1

—, Rhetorical Analysis. Papers of Mason Gustafson, 2022.

Video Game Addiction. “Social Consequences of Gaming Addiction.” Video Game Addiction, Video Game Addiction, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.video-game-addiction.org/social-consequences.html.

Critical Reflection 3

In this persuasive essay, it is safe to say that I struggled more than I thought I would. After writing two essays that were not focused on our individual opinions, I found it difficult to solidify my own reasoning. I struggled to find good sources that would have benefited me and making my reasoning. I tried to go back and use some of the sources from the first essay, but many of those were used for understanding my topic and how to receive all information possible to put into my essay. The actual writing itself I found to be difficult because I had to use this evidence and my own knowledge to write something that is intended to persuade, and that is not something I have done before. I found it hard to structure my writing, I could not find a way to continue my essay each paragraph that I liked, so I tried to organize it to the best of my ability. The actual work to try and persuade my reader was challenging, because I feel like many people recognize their addiction with social media and have just decided to live with it because they are dependent on it. I think that the audience of this paper would have to be a more addicted one but also full of people that are looking for a way to step away from it. Finding credible and usable sources that I could use was also challenging, many of the studies came back inconclusive or did not follow or investigate the certain points that I was looking for. The meeting before the first rough draft was due helped me develop my ideas and figure out what the essay was about, but it was still challenging none the less. I think that this essay was one of the more difficult ones that I have written, but I am also satisfied with the work that I have done and think I have done a good job at trying to persuade my audience.

Encouraging Less Addiction

In a time where technology has become more available, the social networking websites and apps that are in use today can cause young adults and teens to develop addictive consequences. University students are especially susceptible to these sites and apps, and their use of the social networking applications can have consequences on their lives. According to a study performed by Joseph Al-Khoury, even a small time spent away from these social networks, called a social media detoxification, can have many positive effects for these students. Social media detoxification should be encouraged more in teens and young adults because of the benefits it can have on anxiety, sleep, and mood.

Many university students are required to use technologies in order to succeed in their prospective fields and majors, but when the networking scene is so popular and easy to access, the ability for these students to connect with others is simple. Although it can be used for important and academic purposes, the abundance of social media and networking that happens at colleges and universities is because of addiction. This can be from trying to find something to make them laugh, or more complex, such as comparing themselves to people that they see on these platforms. When student’s start comparing themselves to content seen online, their use of social media becomes a mental health problem and can lead to more severe consequences. With the ease of social media and ability to find and see what other people are doing all the time, people become addicted. This addiction can leak over to different areas of their lives, such as their academic success or mental health. Rarely is this problem identified and told to these students; instead, they have little or no knowledge about actions such as social media or networking detoxification. Without the knowledge of this abstinence from these sites and apps, students are never told that their actions and how much time they are spending on these applications are causing problems in their lives.

Joseph Al-Khoury spends his time looking at the benefits and changes that university students experience when they become addicted to their phones and technology because of their constant need to check and use social media. Many people can think of a time or person they remember was on their phone or was on social media too much. To investigate the impacts that addiction to phones and social media or networking has on university students, Joseph El-Khoury implements a study that examines the overall mood, stress levels, sleep, anxiety and multiple other feelings and mental behaviors that a student experiences a detoxification. Again, these were university students who were chosen at random and were asked to talk about how a detoxification period went for them. A sample of these answers was then taken and examined for what impacts a period of detoxification had on students. The result, an overwhelming decrease in anxiety, better and improved sleep, and a overall positive change in mood. This sample and experiment clearly identify where social media addiction is directly impacting these student’s lives. A period of detoxification can be a very positive decision for university students today.

One of the most dreaded decisions and experiences someone will ever have is finding their first big time job out of college. And it is important to find a job that will lead a graduate down a successful path for the rest of his or her career. It also helps when one likes their job and profession they do, because a lack of interest can lead to deteriorating production and work ethic. One of the biggest points of finding this job is the interview, and a person is guaranteed to have a better chance at getting the job if they have a better interview. Socialization and confidence are big factors when in an interview but having symptoms common to addiction to social networking sites (SNS) can lead to constant rejections from potential employers. “It is a state of maladaptive dependency on the SNS that manifests in compulsively seeking and engaging in SNS use to such an extent that typical behavioral addiction symptoms emerge (e.g., withdrawal, salience, tolerance, mood modification, conflict, repeated relapses) (Ofrir Turel 1). Multiple identified symptoms of addiction to social networking sites (SNS) can impact and have negative effects on a job applicant’s interview and chances of receiving the position. This is an example where a social media addiction can have a serious impact on life after college. College can be a very stressful place, but it can also be the most fun and entertaining days of your life, it is important to succeed in the classroom, so you earn your degree and receive the job you want. “While there is still an ongoing debate whether such problems can or should be classified as a formal disorder of addiction, it is clear that regardless of their classification and the terminology used, such maladaptive dependencies can adversely affect various facets of people’s lives, including social functioning, wellbeing, academic, and professional performance, as well as mental health” (Ofrir Turel 1). Our lives have continued to become more dependent on social media use, and it can have serious impacts when it becomes a problem of addiction. With the commonality of addictions to phones and social media, it is easy to say that our lives have constantly been affected, even more so as the technology increases. Using our phones and social media responsibly is very important, so a period of detoxification may be very helpful to discuss and bring to the attention of teens and young adults everywhere and could help these individuals even after they receive their degrees.

Although social media addiction can have serious affects on a person’s behavior, it is also important to address the positives of it. Social media and its availability can be life changing, for example “evidence for the life-changing capacity of interacting on social networking includes the mobilization of rallies, boycotts, and protests, and the establishment and maintenance of romantic relationships, and the real-time prevention of potential acts of suicide” (Allen 1). Although social media can have many downfalls, it can also have positive impacts in multiple different areas. Social media has the opportunity to “enhance belonging, psychological wellbeing, and identity development, while at the same time exposing young people to potential negative outcomes” (Allen 11). It is no mystery that social media has had positive impacts on the lives of millions, but it is important to identify and investigate the potential pitfalls of social media and networking. With the constant use by people today, “teachers, parents, and educational psychologists hoping to better manage cyberbullying, cyberostracism, and the expression of sexual identity” (Allen 11) can use what professionals know about social media today to do so. Not everything seen or said about social media and networking is going to be positive or negative, but it is important to understand and see both sides. The dependence on social media and networking today has changed lives, and the attention of studies and professionals needs to be drawn to the negative impacts it can have.

Social media and social networking have been evolving rapidly over the last couple decades, and in order to keep up with the impacts that they have and continue to have on teens and young adults, people need to act and help spread the word of the impacts of detoxification. This will not only benefit individuals but colleges and universities along with the possibility of impacting future generations.

When looking at the impacts of social media and networking on teens and young adults, although studies have been done, interviews of people within your own life that experience the problem firsthand are crucial for illustrating a point. For this study, two adults were surveyed, adult A is a full-time college student, and adult B is not in school and works full-time. Both students have access to large social networking sites. The influence of social networking was outlined in the questions that were asked. The first question had to do with what they define or identify as social media or a social network? Both responded similarly, defining it as anything online that you can interact with other people on. The second question was to shine light on the average amount of time they spent on social media every day, and how much they would like to. Adult A spends an hour and 15 minutes on social media daily, and B spends three hours and 45 minutes daily. These answers were dramatically different, most likely because of what they are doing, meaning studying or other activities. Thirdly, when asked whether they would attempt a social media detoxification, A responded that he does not see any real benefit from it, even after told that it can improve sleep, put you in a more positive mood, and reduce anxiety. Adult B stated that he would because he does not see any point in it, and that he uses social media because he is addicted or has nothing else to do. It is important to note that the adult who uses social media less daily says that he would not attempt a detoxification, and the one using it for longer daily would. Social media detoxification can do a great deal in helping teens and young adults get over social media and networking addictions. It is necessary to continue to tell and show teens and young adults about the benefits that come with social media detoxification. When the young adults were asked if they were aware of and what they think about the benefits that have been identified to come with social media detoxification, one of them said that they were not enough to convince him to change the time that he was spending on it, and the other thinks that the benefits could be very helpful and beneficial. He also added that he thinks the people who are most addicted and have problems like anxiety and depression from social media, are the ones most likely to refuse and not go on a social media detoxification (Gustafson Independent Survey). This makes sense, because the more dependent a person becomes on a certain thing in their life, the less likely they will be willing to give it up.

Within the process of investigating and exploring the world that surrounds social media addiction and detoxification, there are many important factors at play. From a scientific study from Joseph El-Khoury surrounding detoxification and it’s benefits to an individual study pointed at identifying the same problems and effects on a smaller and more personal scale. Outlined by Mr. El-Khoury, the benefits of social media detoxification are important and can be very beneficial, but even when conducting a personal study, the results align. In today’s world, where teens and young adults can easily access these large social media and networking sites, the focus on reducing addiction and dependency needs to be encouraged.

Works Cited

Allen, K., Ryan, T., Gray, D., McInerney, D., & Waters, L. (2014). Social Media Use and Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The Positives and the Potential Pitfalls. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 31(1), 18-31. doi:10.1017/edp.2014.2

El-Khoury, Joseph, et al. “Characteristics of Social Media ‘Detoxification’ in University Students.” Libyan Journal of Medicine, vol. 16, no. 1, Dec. 2021, pp. 1–7. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2020.1846861.

Gustafson, Mason. “Social Media Addiction Survey.” Gustafson Independent Survey, 10 April 2022, Survey 1.

Turel, O., He, Q., Brevers, D. et al. Delay discounting mediates the association between posterior insular cortex volume and social media addiction symptoms. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 18, 694–704 (2018). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0597-1

Critical Reflection Essay 2

During the writing process of this second essay, I found the overall topic easy to understand compared to others in the past. After reading and developing an understanding for the topic, writing the essay seemed fairly easy. But I think that it was also a little bit more difficult for me because I had a scientific article so when I was trying to find the strategies that the author used, I had to use more generic points that would fit in with how most of scientific articles are written. I do think that it was a little more difficult to write it because it was a scientific article. What I noticed went well with my strategies was talking about the evidence-based reasoning that the author had, because he used his own study and cross referenced in this study with other tests from other scholars. This made it easier for the reader to trust and believe in what the author was writing about. After I have turned in my essay, I have realized how difficult it was to evaluate other points and strategies that the author used. I think having the two rough drafts due before the actual essay helped me with my procrastination and helped me give myself more time to read and look over my paper before turning it in. For the next essay, I will make sure to have all of the parts due at the correct times in order to give save myself time in the future. I think also having a stance and clear stance like the author of my chosen article will make this next major essay easier. I think I can get more out of the meeting with Mrs. Smith compared to this last meeting when I meet with her for my next essay.

Rhetorical Analysis

“The multiplication of social networking sites has led to increased frequency of use among young adults. While the association with mental wellbeing is still controversial, high levels of social media use were correlated with problematic behaviors, low self-esteem, and depressive symptoms” (El-Khoury). When a university student reads this scientific article, it is hard to let the fact that a positive change in mood, reduced anxiety and improved sleep was reported by students who had undergone social media detoxification. Digital detoxification is defined as “a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world” (Oxford Dictionary). Joseph El-Khoury writes about this study and his results in his scientific article, Characteristics of Social Media ‘Detoxification’ in University Students. The conclusion and results that are made in the article have a direct correlation to how a digital detoxification could have positive effects on a university student that is reading it. This scientific article has been peer reviewed and was published in the Libyan Journal of Medicine demonstrating that it was written and intended for other scholars but can also be interpreted and applicable to the lives of university students and people looking into social media detoxification. By utilizing a strategy of connecting many young adults to a familiar and relatable topic, the author succeeds in persuading his audience of university students that detoxification from social media can have many positive effects.

In order to have success in persuading or encouraging your audience, the author needs to find a topic that is personable. Joseph El-Khoury does a great job of this by examining the impact of detoxification from social media in university students and its impact on factors such as improved sleep, reduction of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and positive or negative changes in mood. By using a topic that can be relatable to much of the population of student readers and scholars is very smart and helps to add a more persuasive attitude toward his audience. In his introduction, El-Khoury points out how the increase in social media use amongst US adults rose from 5% to 70% between 2005 and 2019. And by pointing out how the use of social media platforms is more common among adolescents with 71% having the ability to access to more than one social media platform. By writing about a topic that is applicable to scholars, college students and people looking into detoxification, tailoring it to university students in particular by using them in the study helps the author succeed in persuading them and making it more applicable to them. A college student who identifies that their use of social media is affecting their grades or another thing in their life can then use the internet to look up articles and journals that pertain to their problem. When they do this, the article written by El-Khoury will come up and have scientific studies done in order to prove their point. Many people, especially adults, can relate to an experience or time when they have witnessed someone being addicted to their phone or the internet. “The term Internet addiction encompasses poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behavior regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress. More selective categories have been proposed that take into consideration the interface used, the type of activity or the behavioral implications. They include terms such as social media addiction, computer addiction, incorporating gaming and programming, and net compulsions for gambling, shopping, and stock trading that takes place predominantly online” (El-Khoury). In this part of his article, Joseph El-Khoury evaluates common terms that can have an association with the purpose or idea of his article. This strategy helps to let people who are looking for articles on their certain topics to also get something out of this one because it is closely related to theirs. By relating his topic to a population that is very likely to use the source of their problems to identify it and relating the topic to other that are likely to be searched, Joseph El-Khoury does a great job and succeeds in persuading his audience by implementing a scientific study to back up his claims.

Mental health has become a very important and increasingly important topic in our world today. With a closer focus on what causes depression, Joseph El-Khoury uses his study to also identify and examine what affects the use of social media and the internet can have on a young adults’ mental health. Psychiatric morbidity was defined as having a diagnosis of major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), etc. In his article introduction, Joseph El-Khoury has a section dedicated to “Social media use and metal health”. He addresses how psychiatric morbidity has been associated with internet addiction. Also including a statistic about how 4.5% of adolescents were found to be at risk of problematic social media use. He then goes on to talk about “social media addiction was associated with low self-esteem, poor life satisfaction, and sleep disturbances. By connecting his study and article to mental health and how the use of social media and the addiction with it can lead to social media disorders and mental health problems in adolescents. Continuing in this section, he writes about how in order for extreme social media use to qualify as a ‘use disorder’, it requires observation of the set of signs and symptoms consistent with all addictive behaviors. Tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, salience, and relapse were all examined, and then he uses the help of Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Bergan Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)to show how these symptoms have been seen in individuals. At the end, “of all the symptoms normally associated with dependence, withdrawal following the interruption or social media use was the most prominent” (El-Khoury). He implements other resources in order to draw attention to how the dependence on social media is evident in and that the problem with social media and addiction is real. His way of drawing attention to a popular problem that is drawing a lot of attention at the time is important in the overall impact and persuasion that his scientific article does. Another way the author has success in this article is by demonstrating his credibility. Not only does he do a study to identify the problem and its impacts, but he also incorporated other tests like the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and Bergan Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). He uses these tests for the same reason that you need evidence at a trial, it is very hard to just simply trust someone, if they are to present evidence proving their point, you have no choice but to trust them because their side can be supported. By having evidence and demonstrating his credibility and not simply depending on the reader to trust him, Joseph El-Khoury is successful in his scientific article.

Joseph El-Khoury, although writing a scientific article meant to shine light on the problem of social media addiction, successfully uses many strategies in order to persuade the reader. In order to persuade a reader or audience, you need to influence them. Influence is defined as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself “(Oxford). Mr. El-Khoury succeeds in this way by having the impact on someone’s behavior. Because he wrote a scientific journal, he does not have the ability to come out and tell the audience his opinion, instead he uses the data from his study to give his topic evidence. For example, he writes about how after or during a period of social media detoxification, students experienced improved sleep, reduced anxiety, and a positive change in mood. By using his study, he gives the audience a reason to trust him, an important part to why he is successful with his article. An author can write a scientific article about whatever they want the same way that someone can make a claim, but without evidence to support said topic and claim, the audience has no reason to believe what the author is saying. By using other official and scientific tests and providing his results, he successfully persuades his audience. Finally, the audience needs to have a reason or connection with the topic of the article. And with the intended audience being other scholars, students, and other people struggling with social media addiction in one way or another, each of them has a connection to the topic. The scholars want to learn more about the topic in order to form their own opinions and use it to write their own articles, while students and other people can implement strategies discussed in the article to help themselves with their social media addiction. By using a relatable topic to his intended audience and providing evidence to give himself credibility Joseph El-Khoury succeeds in teaching and persuading his audience.

This scientific article written by Joseph El-Khoury using evidence from his own study, this peer-reviewed article is accessible and useful not only for the targeted audience of other scholars, but also for the secondary audience of students and young adults examining the affects of social media addiction and detoxification.

Works Cited

El-Khoury, Joseph, et al. “Characteristics of Social Media ‘Detoxification’ in University Students.” Libyan Journal of Medicine, vol. 16, no. 1, Dec. 2021, pp. 1–7. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2020.1846861.

Critical Reflection for Exploratory Essay

I thought I used a decent amount of time to write my first rough draft which was helpful because that s different than how I normally attack essays. Normally, I will just try to get my ideas down on paper, but I was able to organize my ideas better after receiving some clarification about the essay from our instructor. I looked in the book and used the format of the example essay to guide my own writing that helped me grasp the idea and purpose of the whole paper, and although I understood the paper and spent time writing it, that does not mean that it came out perfect. I found my essay had lots of repetition in the second and third paragraphs because I did not know what else to add in order to meet the same standards as the second paragraph. I think that going more in depth and reading more from my sources will help me analyze and draw relevance to the paper. This will help decrease some of my repetition and give more concrete words and phrases that add depth to the essay instead of circling back around to familiar ideas. I also found it hard to form a good question after my first paragraph. I had already done an annotated bibliography so I already knew a lot about the topic so instead, I tried to put myself in a novice’s shoes and think about what questions they would ask next. Although this helped, I felt that the question and focus of my research in the third paragraph could go after the introductory because it speaks on the definitions and basic understanding that is necessary for the reader. In the end, I think that reorganizing my essay will make it much better along with looking back through the example essay in order to limit my repetition and make sure I hit all the necessary points.

The order that the essays were completed in are as follows

1. Literacies
2. Discourse Communities
3. Rhetorical Analysis
4.  Portrait of a Writer
5. Exploratory
6. Rhetorical Analysis and Evaluation
7. Research-Based Persuasive
8. Problem of Writing

Hello to all, and welcome to my e-portfolio site.

This is a compilation of my essays and various other work from all different classes and aspects of the Virginia Military Institute.