Analysis

On this page, you can find a brief overview of the analysis of Nita Farahany’s TED talk “When technology can read minds, how will we protect our privacy?”

Farahany’s talk mostly has a fairly straightforward composition where she starts by presenting a problem and then concludes by offering a solution. She makes some unusual choices, however, such as opening with a seemingly off-topic anecdote.

The style of her language is generally formal, with many advanced and technical terms. This helps her come across as well-educated and professional.

Farahany sometimes uses rhetorical devices to help get her points across. She is especially fond of rhetorical questions, which help inspire reflection and curiosity in the audience.

The forms of appeal Farahany uses the most are ethos and logos, as they help her appear qualified to speak on the subject and construct logical arguments with many examples. She also occasionally draws on pathos, especially when discussing the worst case scenarios of brain-decoding technology.

When she delivers the TED talk, Farahany appears professional and adopts a mostly serious tone. She uses a small screen as a visual aid to support some of her main points, showing background illustrations or data graphs. 

Farahany’s argumentation starts out very clear and direct, but as she moves towards her more speculative points in later sections of the talk, her arguments gradually grow more indirect and vague.

You can read the full analysis in the following pages!