Unit 1 Draft

 Source Analysis for Unit 1

Abby Deering

A Pencil Shop, for Texting the Old Fashioned Way

By Molly Young  /  https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/fashion/a-pencil-shop-for-texting-the-old-fashioned-way.html

• The article compares pencils to other objects, and shares how pencils exist but there are other things that do the same job better. 
• Depicts the importance of the pencil shop to owner and customers on the basis of passion, it is clear the pencil shop exists for more than just pencils.
• Owner, Caroline Weaver, is described as an "obsessive hobbyist" and that energy draws attention to her shop. A picture of a pencil tattooed on her forearm accompanies this description, almost as proof of an obsession/love.
• Different reasons stated as to why customers should buy her pencils: history, nostalgia, the smell, cheap price, and functionality.
• Purpose was to depict a thriving business based on selling an almost "dated" object. The meaning behind selling pencils as a description of who people are as a person, particularly Caroline Weaver, and the meaning of something nostalgic and more permanent than its technology counterparts.
• When making a purchase your pencil is wrapped as a gift.
• Fits into my topic of how technology has stripped meaning from basic human tasks, thoughts, and feelings. The pencil shop creates meaning in its writing, interests people in something that requires more time, energy, and thought, as opposed to fast pace writing like emails or texting.

What is Deinfluencing? Unpacking TikTok's Unlikeliest Shopping Trend

By Boutayna Chokrane / https://www.vogue.com/article/what-is-deinfluencing 

• A Vogue article by Boutayna Chokrane, published in 2023.
• Describes the new Tiktok trend called "deinfluencing", which is a trend created to encourage people to NOT buy products endorsed by celebrities or influencers on social media. 
• Discusses how in this era of social media "gluttonous consumerism" has thrived as more people are endorsing and pushing products in videos and posts. Has encouraged people to continue to buy more products.
• Debates whether or not "deinfluencing" is an actual positive outcome of hyper-consumerism, or if it is a marketing ploy in itself. 
• The culture of social media has limited honesty and credibility from creators, particularly those with brand deals/endorsements. 
• References specific TikTok users that influenced and started the trend of deinflucencing.
• Purpose of the article is to provide analysis of the trend, as well as what the trend counteracts. The author describes general consumer fatigue and guilt as related to new trends, shares how hard it is for consumers to fall out buying trends in the age of technology and online shopping. 
• Relates to my topic significantly because of the clear lack of thought in recent consumer behavior. The influence of social media and online shopping has stripped meaning from purchases, opposed to in the past when consumers had to shop in-store and based on their own thought processes. People were generally uninfluenced from outside sources and shopped based on their own accord. 

Why Everyone is Worried About Their Attention Span--And How to Improve Yours

By Jamie Ducharme / https://time.com/6302294/why-you-cant-focus-anymore-and-what-to-do-about-it/

• A Time article by Jamie Ducharme, published in 2023.