The strategy I used to read the article was outlined in Reading Like a Writer. This strategy is all about noticing the choices the author made when writing and figuring out why they made those choices. I will be using this strategy to go over the first few paragraphs of a cyber security article I found titled Get Inside the Hackers Mind and attempt to explain the language they used and how it may affect how the article is perceived by the reader.

In the article titled Get Inside the Hackers Mind: Why They Do What They Do the authors makes reference to fictional stories with superheroes and villains. I believe they did this for a couple of reasons. For starters, it’s a good hook for someone who isn’t well versed in cyber-security terminology, as pretty much everyone has seen a film with superheroes and villains in it. In the first couple of words the reader will know that ‘Black Hat’ hackers are dangerous criminals and that ‘White Hat’ hackers are ethical in what they do. This opening could also intrigue younger people, which is good since the field of cyber security is only getting larger, and we need younger people who want to get into the industry.

While I can see why the writer made this choice in language, I personally wouldn’t do this in my own paper. Referring to hackers as ‘superheroes’ or ‘supervillains’ could come across as childish to some readers, and I don’t think it accurately portrays the distinction between Black Hat and White Hat hackers.