In "Hooked on Technology, and Paying a Price," Matt Richtel touches on a pressing matter in the modern society: the overbearing exploitation of technology. This essay aims to speak to those who use technology in their daily lives, which covers a vast majority of the general population. The Aristotelian appeals- ethos, logos, and pathos- complement each other to produce a persuading essay that provides both real life examples of the Campbell family and experiments of several scientific researchers to prove the harmful effects that technology has on the mental states of its consumers. The most prominent of the three appeals is pathos due to the affect of the readers, personalized stories of the Campbell's, and capitalization on the values of family. 

Pathos, the rhetorical device that appeals to the emotions, is evident throughout the essay mainly due in part to the sense of fear that is instilled in the reader after putting the reading down ("Arguments from Pathos" 103). This essay channels the inner negative emotions that are associated with technology by providing the health hazards that come along with the excessive time spent behind an electronic screen. Throughout the text, Richtel references the works of several different researchers and established, credited universities that can be considered the appeal to the pre-existing conceived validity of the rhetor based on his or her title, or situated ethos; this harmonizes with the use of pathos such that the reader trusts the information that is being given, so he or she will not question the feelings that arise (Meyer). The biochemical aspects that were explained, such as the addictive dopamine release that is triggered by receiving a notification, set out to inform the reader of the harmful effects on human behavior in hopes that the risks would scare them away from constantly using their electronic device (Richtel 481). 

Another scare tactic that Richtel uses is the fact that multitaskers are never able to unplug from their multitasking propensities which leaves the reader feeling helpless if he or she is a multitasker (484). According to Doctor Jeremy Dean, a neurochemical called cortisol is released if one becomes distressed, causing the audience to read more closely; by providing the examples of the health threats from misuse and multitasking, Richtel is disturbing the reader so that the cortisol is released. This technique was first employed when he caught the attention of his audience in the very beginning; the story involved Kord Campbell who almost lost a 1.3 million dollar deal from, because losing that fortune would bother anyone (Richtel 481). As a result, the reader becomes worried for future generations since the spread of technology will only continue to grow. 

The feeling of fear that is evoked in the audience throughout the text is heightened with the multiple stories of Kord Campbell. However, the fear is not for oneself, but rather for the man in the narrative being told. According to Richtel, "His wife, Brenda, complains, 'It seems like he can no longer be fully in the moment" (481). One becomes uneasy when one reads about his constant, unmindful use of technology which is exemplified in the several mentioned instances of Campbell making mistakes due to his electronic distractions; Richtel states that Campbell has lost money, burned quality hamburgers, killed time playing video games, overlooked important e-mails, and became so engulfed in work that he was disconnected from his loved ones (486). It is human nature to be forgetful, so in that sense, the rhetor is referring to a relatable figure as an example for the reader. His stories are provided so that the reader can vicariously learn through his mistakes to be more mindful of his or her own daily consumption on devices.

An appeal to values is evident with the recurrent mentioning that the use of technology cuts in on family time and eventually will have an effect on human interaction if it has not already (Richtel 488). Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found that people spend an average of twelve hours a day on media compared to five hours in 1960 (Richtel 483). Rescuetime, a time-management resource, also found that the average computer user visits forty Web sites per day (Richtel 483). The logos, or appeal to logic with statistics, allows the reader to balance his or her trusting with his or her values that are used in pathos ("Arguments from Logos"). On page 482, Richtel comments about the Campbell's daughter's observations of her father's habits by saying, "Their 8-year-old daughter, Lily, like her mother, playfully tells her father that he favors technology over family." This induces an empathetic feeling towards the child because she is not receiving an adequate amount of attention from one of her parents. Children are also mentioned in the text when Richtel claims that they are adopting bad habits of spending their free time on devices instead of playing outdoors (487). According to Richtel, "Researchers worry that constant digital stimulation [. . .] creates attention problems for children with brains that are still developing, who already struggle to set priorities and resist impulses" (487). Showing and feeling empathy, a large contributor to the pathos rhetorical device, towards one another is a human quality that may be in jeopardy with the overuse of technology, according to Clifford Nass, a Stanford communications professor (Richtel 488). 

In conjunction with the logos and situated ethos apparent in the text, pathos makes a strong claim in convincing the reader that the modern habits of the utilization of smart phones, televisions, and computers should be rectified. Pathos was evident in the text where personal accounts of the Campbell family were told, children were mentioned, and values were alluded to. In all of the aforementioned cases, pathos worked to bring about a sense of fear for the future health consequences of the heavy, simultaneous exploitation of electronic devices. The reader was prompted to believe the multi-faceted argument due to the titles of the referenced scientists (ethos) and the proper evidence that was presented in a logical manner (logos). Overall, the reader will feel the need to restrain from the customary, unceasing consumption of technology due to the emotions that were stirred from the entirety of this text.    

