Brynlee Funk

Dr. Haslam

English 1010

Rhetorical Analysis of “I Know Where You’ve Been: Digital Spying and Divorce in the

Smartphone Age”

The article “I Know Where You’ve Been: Digital Spying and Divorce in the Smartphone

Age” was published January 4, 2018, by Aarti Shanhani and Lauren Silverman. During the time

this article was written, many law firms were struggling with how to deal with digital spying in

court. Digital spying was a new type of stalking and judges weren’t sure if it could be used as

evidence against someone. In this article, Shanhani and Silverman wrote about an investigation

involving a woman and her stalker ex-husband. This article explores the use of digital spying and

the impact it has on divorce. Though it is possible to characterize the readers for Shanhani and

Silverman’s article as people who are concerned about internet and technology safety, “I Know

Where You’ve Been: Digital Spying and Divorce in the Smartphone Age” may or may not meet

their expectations. Shanhani and Silverman relied heavily on ethos, pathos, logos, and chronos

with a serious tone to effectively convince their readers that digital spying is affecting and

changing divorce (Shanhani and Silverman).

Aarti Shanhani is qualified to talk about this investigation because she is a correspondent

for National Public Radio and has received the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award

(NPR). She has also earned her master’s degree in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of

Government (NPR). Lauren Silverman is also qualified because she used to work for National

Public Radio (NPR) and now works for KERA News, a North Texas news station, as the Health,
Science, and Technology reporter and blogger (KERA News). For example, Silverman wrote an

article about twitter and traveling called, “Twitter Travel Tech Could Help Avoid Travel

Nightmares.”

Shanhani and Silverman use ethos to achieve credibility in their arguments. For example,

when they discuss GPS tracking, they use a real-life example. In this article, they used an actual

interview of a woman, “M”, that described her digital spying experience with her ex-husband.

By using direct quotes from the woman, the authors gain credibility because readers don’t need

to question where the information came from. For example they used this statement from the

woman: “I am now fully aware that all of those times that I thought I was keeping myself safe...I

never was safe” (Shanhani and Silverman). By using this woman as a credible source, readers are

more likely to trust the article and the information it is giving.

In the article, Statements from lawyers and judges are also included to give additional

credibility on the issue. For example, Shanhani and Silverman got a statement from a family

court judge, Emily Miksel, about the issue of using digital spying as evidence in court. “Lawyers

are extremely conflicted and confused...[they] are put in a position of having to choose between a

rock and a hard place” (Shanhani and Silverman). By using trained professionals, Shanhani and

Silverman prove that their evidence is correct. They relied on these professionals to give accurate

information instead of using their own opinions. This establishes information that can be trusted.

These are examples of ethos because the authors use actual statements from people that have

experience in this field. Instead of just illustrating the story in their own words, the authors used

direct quotes from people which establishes credibility (Shanhani and Silverman).
 Shanhani and Silverman appeal to pathos by using the victim’s statements to evoke

emotion. For example, the authors use this statement from “M”: "I'm terrified. I am absolutely

terrified” (Shanhani and Silverman). In the article, the authors additionally write that “M” was

holding back tears while saying this statement. When readers read that the woman was

practically crying, the audience automatically feels sympathy towards this woman. As the

authors discuss that this woman is terrified, readers understand the seriousness of the situation.

The authors later mentions more of the abuse that occured: “She left him and took their child

after, she says, he choked her” (Shanhani and Silverman). By including that this woman had a

child, readers can understand this woman’s panic. Readers feel strong emotions when physical

abuse is included in the woman’s statement. By mentioning this, the readers understand this

woman’s fear at a deeper level. While many people may not be able to completely put

themselves in her situation, readers feel a sense of connection and concern for this woman.

Information about her abuse gives background to the story. These examples are proof of pathos

because the author uses descriptions of this woman and what she said to try to spur emotion in

the readers (Shanhani and Silverman).

Shanhani and Silverman also appeal to logos to support their argument that digital spying

is affecting divorce. For example, the authors used this statistic: “In 2012, the last time the

Justice Department attempted to quantify stalking, it ​estimated that 1.5 percent​ of all adults in the

U.S. were victims. That figure more than doubled — to 3.3 percent — for people who were

divorced or separated” (Shanhani and Silverman). This statistic proves the point that stalking is

affecting people who are divorced or separated. Digital stalking is not only an issue that is

coming up in divorce, it is happening all around the world everyday. Additionally, the authors
used another statistic to better enforce their point. “An even ​earlier DOJ survey​ of stalking

victims in 2005 and 2006 found that electronic monitoring of some kind was used on one in 13

victims. This was before iPhones and the smartphone era” (Shanhani and Silverman). By stating

that this information was before the “smartphone era”, this implies that these statistics have

increased since this information was gathered. Because this information was gathered in the early

2000s we can also imply that stalking rates have dramatically increased since then. With ever

improving technology, stalking becomes more accessible and easier to do. These facts help

further prove the authors’ arguments that digital spying is affecting divorce (Shanhani and

Silverman).

Authors Shanhani and Silverman were able to achieve chronos in their article. Their

article was published on January 4th, 2018. During the twenty-first century, technology has

become more innovative and useful. Shanhani and Silverman use this to their advantage in

creating this article. If Shanhani and Silverman were to publish this article in the early 2000s,

this article would not be relevant to any of their readers. By publishing this article when it was,

people are able to personally relate to the problems discussed in the article. Even if these

individuals don’t have a connection to divorce, they are made more aware of the possibility of

digital spying. Divorce over the years has steadily increased and has also become more relevant.

This article was published in early January immediately after the holidays. Many people receive

new technology as a byproduct of the holidays. Shanhani and Silverman use this as a connection

to the danger of digital spying.

Shanhani and Silverman use a serious tone to convey why this topic is important. The

authors used this statement to introduce the article: “It was the summer of 2016, and M was
worried her ex-husband was stalking her. She would get out of town and stay with friends. But,

as she noted in court documents, her ex seemed to know exactly where she was and whom she

visited — down to the time of day and street” (Shanhani and Silverman). Immediately once a

reader begins reading this article, a person can understand the seriousness of this story by the

authors’ word choice. The authors’ tone makes readers more invested in the storyline and

argument. The authors use this statement later in the article, “Experts say a huge barrier to

criminal prosecution is that local police cannot or will not investigate.” This professional tone

creates an atmosphere of seriousness. The article uses professional words and grammar to set the

tone for a serious issue. This professional word choice also adds to the authors’ credibility.

Shanhani and Silverman’s serious throughout the article helps sustain the sense of being

invested. The use of a serious tone helps strengthen the ethos, pathos, and logos used in the

article.

I believe that Shanhani and Silverman’s argument about the connection between digital

spying and divorce is intended for the general public. While this article may be more fascinating

for readers interested in digital privacy, this article can make an impact on anyone who reads it.

This article puts into perspective that digital spying is a real life danger and should be taken into

consideration. Everyone should be aware of the possibility that someone may be spying on you

through technology. Digital spying doesn’t just occur because of bad relationships. However,

this article can shine a new light on divorce cases in today’s society. Shanhani and Silverman

rely heavily on ethos, logos, and pathos with a serious tone to effectively convince their readers

that digital spying is affecting and changing divorce. I have become a part of this audience

because I have seen the connection that it can make in my own life. Through this article, I have
become better educated about the dangers of digital spying. Because the authors used a real-life

example, I was more invested in what they had to say and took them more seriously. This article

made me analyze technology in our society and question if we really have privacy when using

technology.

Word Count: 1567

 Works Cited

Shahani, Aarti, and Lauren Silverman. “I Know Where You've Been: Digital Spying And

Divorce In The Smartphone Age.” ​NPR,​ NPR, 4 Jan. 2018,

https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/01/04/554564010/i-know-where-yo

U-ve-been-digital-spying-and-divorce-in-the-smartphone-age.

Silverman, Lauren. ​Twitter Travel Tech Could Help Avoid Travel Nightmares ...​ 24 Nov. 2014,

https://www.keranews.org/post/twitter-travel-tech-could-help-avoid-travel-nightmares.

“Aarti Shahani.” ​NPR,​ NPR, https://www.npr.org/people/348730771/aarti-shahani.

“Lauren Silverman.” ​RSS,​ https://www.keranews.org/people/lauren-silverman.