Difficulty: Introductory | Prerequisites: None, though familiarity with basic rhetorical analysis (summary, paraphrase, quotation) is helpful.
This material sits at the intersection of rhetoric, media studies, and embodiment theory. Nixon's "The Body as a Mediator" asks a deceptively simple question: what happens to your body when you use technology, and why should you care? The essay is commonly assigned in first-year composition courses to introduce students to rhetorical analysis of everyday experience. If you are studying how writers build arguments about culture and technology, this is foundational reading. You should already be comfortable identifying a thesis, locating textual evidence, and distinguishing summary from analysis.
Nixon argues that heavy technology use pulls us out of bodily awareness, causing physical tension, irregular breathing, and a general disconnection from our surroundings. His proposed remedy is simple: practise being present, pay attention to what your body is doing, and stay vigilant about what you are normalising in both online and offline life. Awareness, he contends, improves not only your relationship with your own body but also your relationships with others.
Embodied presence
The state of being physically and mentally aware of your body and its sensations in the present moment. Think of it as the opposite of zoning out while scrolling your phone.
Being present
Nixon's shorthand for deliberately attending to the here and now of experience. In simple terms, this means consciously noticing what is happening around you and inside you, rather than operating on autopilot.
Mindfulness
A practice of sustained, non-judgmental attention to the present moment. Nixon connects it to embodied presence as a broader framework for reconnecting with the body.
Attentiveness
Ongoing, deliberate awareness of what is in front of you, both in digital and physical environments. Think of it as the habit of noticing, rather than a one-off act.
Normalising (in context of technology use)
The gradual process by which behaviours or conditions (e.g. tension in the shoulders while using a phone) become accepted as unremarkable. Nixon warns that we stop noticing what we have normalised.
Nixon observes that prolonged technology use produces measurable physical effects: irregular breathing, muscle tension in the back and shoulders, and a general loss of bodily awareness.
He frames this as something many people experience but few consciously notice, because the discomfort has been normalised.
The key claim is that technology mediates our relationship with our own bodies, inserting itself between sensation and awareness.
Nixon advocates for "being present," defined as carefully attending to the here and now of experience.
This is not a complex philosophical programme. It is a practical suggestion: notice what your body is doing, especially when engaged with screens.
He connects this to mindfulness as a broader practice, arguing that presence can reshape how we relate to our environments and to other people.
Nixon's final move is to argue that attentiveness must be continuous, not occasional.
He calls for "an ongoing vigilance regarding what we are normalising in both our online and offline environments."
The point is that awareness is a habit, not a one-off correction. Without it, we drift back into the patterns technology encourages.
Nixon uses personal anecdote (noticing his own breathing and tension) to establish credibility and relatability.
He moves from personal observation to a broader claim about society, a common rhetorical pattern in composition essays.
The essay models how to connect embodied experience to abstract argument.
This is essentially the theory behind why ergonomics and "screen breaks" exist in workplace health guidelines. Companies now build reminders into operating systems (e.g. Apple's Screen Time, Windows Focus sessions) precisely because the kind of bodily disconnection Nixon describes is widespread. Physiotherapists routinely treat patients whose chronic neck and shoulder tension traces back to sustained phone and laptop use.
Students often think Nixon is arguing that technology is inherently bad. He is not. His argument is about awareness, not abstinence. He never says to stop using technology.
Students sometimes confuse "being present" with formal meditation. Nixon uses the term more loosely to mean paying attention to bodily experience, not necessarily sitting cross-legged with eyes closed.
A common mistake is treating the essay as purely personal reflection. Nixon moves from personal anecdote to a broader social argument, and that rhetorical structure is part of the point.
Students sometimes assume "normalising" is always negative. Nixon's specific concern is normalising physical discomfort and disconnection; the concept itself is neutral.
⚠️ Be able to state Nixon's thesis in your own words. It is not "technology is bad." It is "we should practise embodied presence to counteract the bodily disconnection that technology use encourages."
⚠️ Know the difference between summary and analysis. The sample assignment (Huizar) demonstrates a summary-heavy approach: quote, then paraphrase. Stronger work would interrogate why Nixon's argument works (or does not), what rhetorical moves he makes, and where his reasoning has gaps.
⚠️ If asked to write a rhetorical analysis of this essay, focus on how Nixon uses personal experience as evidence, how he defines his key terms, and how he builds from observation to prescription.
⚠️ The concept of "normalising" is likely to appear in exam prompts. Be ready to explain what Nixon means by it and give an example.
True or False: Nixon argues that people should stop using technology altogether.
False. He argues for awareness, not abstinence.
Fill in the blank: Nixon notices irregular ______ and tension in his ______ while using his phone.
Breathing patterns; back and shoulders.
True or False: "Being present" in Nixon's essay specifically refers to formal meditation practice.
False. It refers more broadly to attending to the here and now of experience.
Fill in the blank: Nixon warns about the danger of ______ physical discomfort caused by technology use.
Normalising.
True or False: Nixon moves from personal anecdote to a broader social claim.
True.
Q: What is Nixon's central thesis in "The Body as a Mediator"?
A: Nixon argues that technology use creates a physical disconnection from our bodies (irregular breathing, muscle tension) that we fail to notice because we have normalised it. His solution is to practise embodied presence: deliberately attending to bodily experience in the present moment.
Q: What physical symptoms does Nixon describe experiencing while using technology?
A: Irregular breathing patterns and tension held in the back and shoulders.
Q: How does Nixon define "being present," and why does he consider it important?
A: He defines it as carefully attending to the here and now of experience. He considers it important because it reconnects us with our bodies, introduces a fresher perspective on practices like mindfulness, and ultimately transforms our environments and relationships.
Q: What does Nixon mean by "ongoing vigilance," and how does it relate to normalisation?
A: He means that attentiveness must be continuous, not a one-off effort. Without ongoing vigilance, we gradually normalise the physical and psychological effects of technology use, accepting discomfort and disconnection as unremarkable.
Q: If you were writing a rhetorical analysis of this essay, what strategies would you identify?
A: Nixon uses personal anecdote to establish ethos and relatability, moves from specific bodily observation to a broad social claim, defines key terms ("being present") within the essay to control their meaning, and closes with a prescriptive call to action. A strong analysis would also note what he does not do: he offers little empirical evidence beyond his own experience, which is both a strength (accessible, relatable) and a limitation (not generalisable).
This material connects directly to rhetorical analysis skills taught across English Composition: identifying thesis statements, evaluating evidence, and recognising how writers structure arguments from personal experience to broader claims. If your course covers media ecology or the work of thinkers like Marshall McLuhan ("the medium is the message"), Nixon's essay sits in that tradition of asking how technology shapes human experience. It also links to any unit on mindfulness, wellness, or embodiment in psychology or health courses.
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