Analysis Of Lakshmi Chaudhry's Mirror, Mirror On The Web

Time magazine’s 2006 issue featured everyone as their Person of the Year. This created controversy because an honor like this was once reserved for people who had actually accomplished something important, not the average citizen who has access to the internet. Lakshmi Chaudhry, the author of Mirror, Mirror on the Web, states “So it’s easy to miss the editorial sleight of hand that slips from the “I” to the “we,” substitutes individual self-expression for collective action and conflates popular attention with social consciousness” (158). According to Chaudhry, narcissism is becoming more prominent in society. She believes it is preventing social change because people are only concerned with their own social status. Mirror, Mirror on the Web is ineffective in proving this point because Chaudhry creates a false dilemma. The main focus of this article is that social times are changing and something needs to be done about it. Chaudhry argues that mass media has become a new media for fame. People are taking advantage of it and …show more content…
She attempts to use ethos appeals, but they do not apply to the main focus of the article. “Just do it, baby, but make sure you buy that pair of Nikes first” (Chaudhry 160). This may be persuasive to some, but it has nothing to do with social media’s affect on society coming together and changing the world. It is just a vague statement about the temptations society tends to face. Next, she attacks an internet user who said “I post, therefore I am” (Chaudhry 161). Being confident in one’s ability to create videos for pure enjoyment does not mean that person cannot positively impact society. She proceeds to blame the issue on the present generation because they have not experienced a major war or an economic depression. Chaudhry states that the obsession with fame will end with the good times. While this may be true, the issue Chaudhry presents is social media itself, not the