Sajjad1994Requesting for evaluation of my Essay on the undermentioned AWA prompt :-
QUESTION"The term 'couch potato' may seem harmless, but television watching has been shown to shift mental activity from higher brain regions to lower ones. That is because TV is a one-way medium, reducing one's tendency to engage and interact. Using a computer, on the other hand, is a two-way activity that encourages interaction. Since many television watchers report feeling sluggish and even sleepy after several hours' viewing, it is clear that switching off the TV and switching on the computer will result in increased energy, brain activity, and mental sharpness."Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
ESSAYThe argument under reference, possibly an extract from a popular social or wellness magazine, argues against television watching, primarily owing to passive nature of such activity and claims regarding reduced engagement and interaction vis--vis computer. The author rests his argument on the sole assumption of passivity of TV watching while making a strong case for promoting computer activities as compared to TV watching. While the argument may seem logically sound in the initial glance, on a deeper analysis it comes to the fore that there are several critical flaws pertaining to lack of supporting evidence, assumptions, and other reasoning errors, which have enumerated in the succeeding paragraphs.
Firstly, the author attributes total passivity while watching several shows on television. While arguing so strongly, the author has not considered the entire scope of the television shows. While the claims may hold true for entertainment based TV shows, the same may not be justified, considering that there are several knowledge and reality shows, which activate the mental faculties of the audience, and in turn, motivate the people to achieve similar activity levels as the actors in those shows.
Secondly, the author's argument rests on the doubtful assumption that television watching curbs creativity since it reduces one's tendency to engage and interact. A careful and well-analyzed view of television watching may prove contrary to the claims since several shows aired on television are aimed specifically for different audience categories. In particular, the educational shows aired on television are focused at encouraging creativity in children.
Thirdly, the author's argument is too limited in scope. The author needs to enhance the scope , considering television , a popular media, has stood the test of time. Television has been successfully used by several governments as well as organizations in various nations to broadcast flagship schemes and utility shows to engage the local populace towards promoting inclusion. Non-coverage of such aspects by the author makes the argument a one-sided one.
Towards improving the logical consistency in the argument, the author needs to include analyses, comparative matrix , surveys etc covering important facets and benefits accrued, primarily related to engagement and interaction, to gain a wholesome orientation. Towards making the case stronger, the author needs to include supporting evidence and examples in form of real life scenarios.
In essence, the argument, in its existing state, is logically deficient considering that it is backed up by the sole premise, and lacks adequate supporting evidence and examples. Inclusion of surveys , comparative analyses and expert views, aimed at strengthening the case for switching over to computers, will significantly assist the author in making his case regarding superiority of adopting computers over watching television more favorable to assimilation.