Wortham Jenna, the author of the article “As more facebook users die, Ghosts reach out to reconnect”, informs the world on the rising issue about the dead facebook users whose profile/pictures still flicks on the computer screens.
Wortham cites the fear that people have in case their relatives/friends pass on but their profile exists even four years on. Using a varying tone, diction, and personal experiences from facebook users, the author is not only able to keep facebook users on alert, but also motivate the administrator of the site to find a concrete solution to the emerging problem.
The author intends to highlight an emerging issue in the social media, which is stressing or making people to live in fear. Death is a critical and inevitable issue that sends fear in most people while ghosts make people to freak out most of the time.
Thus, Wortham’s article on the appearance of ghosts on facebook is to find a lasting solution to the problem whereby, the site’s administrator (Mark Zuckerberg) should excogitate a way to delete profiles of the dead people. Currently, people of all ages are on facebook even the elderly (65 years); consequently, the profiles of dead people are set to increase in the near future but the current software on facebook can neither identify nor delete the ‘dead’ profiles.
Given the weight of the matter, Wortham uses respectful or serious tone to address the audience and other readers. For instance, when he says “And so Facebook must find a way to integrate it into the social experience online” (Wortham 14), he overemphasizes the need for an urgent solution to the problem. Therefore, the attitude of the author towards topic is solemn and/or serious.
Furthermore, he contacts people who have had awful experiences with identification as dead people or seeing the profiles of their loved ones yet they are deceased. Wortham also uses the mockery tone when he quotes people whom the site presumes to be dead. Finally, through tone variation, Wortham communicates effectively about the major limitation of facebook.
Starting from the topic of the article, the author uses negative diction to put across his message. The appearance of ‘ghosts’ on facebook not only attracts people to read his article, but also raises eyebrows on the way forward. Moreover, the author’s use of strong words enables the reader to understand the damage that the issue of ghosts on facebook has caused many families or people.
For instance, he uses words like ‘pranks’ and ‘quirks’ to describe the extent of damage the problem has caused. In addition, he describes the incompetence on the site’s administrator when he says, “These are issues that Facebook no doubt wishes it could avoid entirely. But death, of course, is unavoidable” (Wortham 14); thus, his choice of words is either to caution or prompt the social site to take an action.
In summary, the aim of Wortham’s article is to prompt the owners of social websites like facebook among others to face the fuss about dead facebook (social websites) users. With the use of a serious tone, he is able to cite the tremendous consequences of flicking all profiles on the computer screen including those belonging to dead people. In addition, Wortham’s diction in the article is that of a concerned writer who has observed a critical subject therefore trying to find a way out.
Works Cited
Wortham, Jenna. “As More Facebook Users Die, Ghosts Reach Out to Reconnect.” New York Times. 2010 late ed.: Al. Print.