When I first started preparing for my research project, I decided that my research topic would have something to do with drones. After narrowing the topic down, I came up with the following research exigence: What consumer drone regulations by the government, or changes to current regulations, are necessary to ensure safety for the American people while still allowing for the many benefits of consumer drones to be experienced. This exigence focuses only on consumer drones, which means the quad-copters that have become so popular among amateur drone enthusiasts in America. In my paper, I will make sure to fully explain what drones are, why drones are an important issue, and why my audience should be concerned about the issue. This background information is necessary because my audience includes not only drone enthusiasts and drone manufacturers but also lawmakers who might not be familiar with the issue. As a student who is highly passionate about science and technology, the issue of drones has always been of great interest to me. As with many people, I value the safety and security of the American people. I also, on the other hand, place personal freedom in very high regard. My research exigence pushes the boundaries of these two ideals. Leaning too much toward safety and security may limit personal freedom, while leaning too much toward personal freedom may limit safety and security. I do not have any direct experience regarding drones, but the vast amount of research I will perform on the subject will help qualify me to write about the issue.

The first source that I will address, which is an article from Business Insider, claims that drones will become popular for commercial purposes within the next few years. The article uses economic projections as evidence. These projections show that drones will be used by all sorts of industries within the next ten years, which will include farming and delivery services. The article predicts that drones will make up a large portion of worldwide commercial spending in the future. In addition, the article discusses the privacy and safety concerns associated with this influx of drones for commercial purposes. The commercial use of drones, the main issue in this source, is an important issue for people who value economic gain. As such, people in the business world have interests at stake here. Privacy issues, which are also discussed in the source, are of interest to people worried about the negative impact of drone use in the United States. This source does a good job of focusing on both the positives and negatives of the issue it presents. The source recognizes the positive impact drones will have in the future of business, but it also notes the privacy issues that will result. The author, a tech and business journalist, gives both sides to the story and presents facts and data through charts and graphics. Despite the focus on both sides of the issue, the source is still slightly biased because it pushes for the economic benefits of drones to be experienced. The author does very little, other than addressing privacy concerns, to address drone safety concerns or other consequences.

The next source that I will address, an article from The Conversation, argues that drones will soon be used heavily in farming. The article states that drones will be used for everything from analyzing field characteristics to actually harvesting crops. The source provides evidence of a positive impact that drones can have on the world. As such, the major values and interests at stake are freedom and the use of immersing technology to better society. This source gives me examples of how drones will be used to benefit society instead of being used in harmful ways. The author is a professor of Agricultural engineering, and the journal itself, The Conversation, is very reputable. The source is somewhat biased toward the positive aspects of drones, however, as it does not present any negatives associated with the immergence of drones in the world of agriculture. Some potential negatives that come to my mind are unemployment for human workers and risk of dangerous malfunction.

Finally, my third source is an article from Tech Insider. The article argues that drones will soon be used, and are being used now, by terrorist organizations such as ISIS. The article explains that ISIS is using consumer drones mainly for surveillance purposes. ISIS has reportedly used small drones to survey United States Military Bases and oil refineries and Iraq and Syria. The report argues that this situation is especially dangerous because these consumer drones are so cheap and easily accessible. This source, unlike the first two sources mentioned, presents the other side of the drone issue: drones being used to harm people. Values at stake here include the safety and the protection of innocent people rather than the benefits of drone use in society. The source is from a reliable news source that focuses on technology. It does a great job of citing all of the evidence it uses in the article.

Now that I have explained my research exigence and some sources, I think that, overall, my research exigence is arguable because there is enough evidence to support an intended solution. Based on my research so far, I have seen many firsthand accounts of how drones have been used to benefit society, as well as ways in which drones can be monitored and regulated to protect the public. There are many disagreements about how safe a drone-filled world can actually be, however, as some people focus only on the potential negatives of drone use and the dangers that drones could pose. Some people, such as the author of my first source, do recognize that drones have both positive and negative effects on the world. The differences in opinion make it a little more difficult for me to decide on a proper solution to the exigence, but nonetheless, differences in opinion mean that the issue is widespread and serious enough to argue fully. I should not have a problem addressing my issue in the allotted word length, as I have already narrowed my issue down to just consumer drone issues, rather than military drone issues.

