Steinmetz And Schaefer Critical Analysis

The articles by both Steinmetz and Schaefer and Carr emphasize the differences in which authors portray issues and shape their article in effort to effectively relay a message, a message that plays a role in the purpose, and consequently actions, of individuals based on their identification as an audience. Considering content, Carr concisely yet simply goes through the concept of the medium to relay an understandable idea to a general audience, while Steinmetz and Schaefer extensively go through the current uses and issues of the medium, conveying complex ideas to an audience knowledgeable about the Internet as a medium. Furthermore, reflecting on exigence and stakes, while Steinmetz and Schaefer aim to provide a beneficial resource to an experienced …show more content…
Carr presents the idea that because individuals rely on the Internet for all sources and thus are pulled into a one-dimensional world that provides filtered information, they remain susceptible to manipulation by higher powers (Carr 2). While Schaefer and Steinmetz agree, they furthermore state manipulation is also due to lack of awareness of the medium itself because the focus on content trumps the importance or even knowledge of how the medium alters its message (Schaefer and Steinmetz 505). This comparison between Schaefer and Steinmetz and Carr reveals that they both have the same overall exigence- to provide awareness of vulnerability of the medium. However, because their audience consists of researchers seeking to further their own knowledge of the Internet as a medium, Schaefer and Steinmetz specifically write their article so that their audience themselves can further investigate how higher powers and even the medium itself manipulates content and perhaps spread awareness. Further displaying their exigence as authors, Schaefer and Steinmetz state that although the increase of monitoring the Internet has increased citizen’s democratic rights and powers, it has inhibited those same rights and powers due to authorities using the same method to …show more content…
Both Schaefer and Steinmetz and Carr write about the same concept, however, in order to effectively convey their message and promote awareness about the susceptibility of the medium to manipulation, they shape their content in such a way that fits into the audience’s purpose, whether that be to further their own research or gain a basic understanding of the issue. The comparison between the two articles is essential as it emphasizes the need to recognize the audience’s background of knowledge so that the audience themselves can make actual use of the content and follow through with the author’s