The Incredible Shrinking Ad

     In this article for The Atlantic, Derek Thompson describes the ever changing role of advertisements in modern day society.  With more than half of Americans owning smartphones, ads now need to shrink in size to be able to fit the small screen, and companies are suffering due to the gap in money revenue. Companies like Facebook and Google, who rely on advertisements for up to 90% of its revenue, need to find a way to compensate for this difference. A difference that Derek Thompson explains is not going away
     The purpose of this article to inform readers about the gap in advertisement revenue and the need for a change. The exigence of the article is that smartphone ads are not going to disappear any time soon and realities need to be faced. Lastly, the audience intended for this article are adults who are able to understand the information and facts being put forth by the author.
     In this article, the Derek Thompson uses many rhetorical devices in order to intrigue the reader. One device he specifically uses in the beginning of his article is anachronism. To introduce his topic and begin the article, he tells a story of the first advertisement and how people watching the Brooklyn Dodgers witnessed the first ever ad. Next, he describes the evolution of advertisements through using the radio, television, and now smartphones as tools of delivery. One effect of this anachronism on the reader is it introduces the topic in a "non-boring" way. More specifically the reader wants to continue to read the article. At the same time, it provides the reader with background context and information necessary to be able to fully understand the text. Also, he uses a didactic tone throughout the article in order to get his point across.  By using a didactic tone, the reader is invited to read the article in the hopes that they will be able to gather new information. Also, readers know, only by the tone of the passage, that the he is really there just to help them. Not to harm them.
    I think the reader achieved his purpose of informing readers about the gap in advertisements in todays society. Through his use of anachronism and didactic tone, he intrigues the reader to continue reading and flipping the page.