The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

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Understanding the Concepts Described in the Literary Works of Moss and Foer
Introduction
A comparison of the essays Michael Moss and Franklin Foer write on “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” and “Mark Zuckerberg’s War on Free Will” provides insight into complementary subject matters, which both writers discuss. Moss professes that there is truth in the claims of the workings of a more limited hegemony in the food industry. Application of a similar point of view of Facebook, which Foer discusses extensively in his essay, can provide a different angle from which the audience can understand how the company engages with users of the platform, and how users interact with the social site. The essay explores the relationship described, and provides evidence for ideas expressed with regard to the subject.
Literary Development and Progression of Each Article
Moss begins by establishing the fact that consumption of junk food is harmful to our health because the foods are unhealthy, and the companies that produce such are well aware. The author seeks to establish that multinational corporations in the food industry strive to maintain a hold over the industry despite incriminatory evidence that the same industry is behind the current health crisis (Moss). Moss begins with a description of a meeting in 1999, where 11 CEOs of leading food corporations sat to discuss the issue of unhealthy food products in the market. The author then goes on to establish that the food industry has established a façade of the choice over food decisions, safety, nutrition and health to advance marketing, politics, and corporate interests. On the other hand, Foer begins by establishing that giant technological companies have set up a front that a false viewpoint of the companies (Foer 56). The corporations project the services each provides as a social platform through which everyone can express and exercise individuality. Humanity is no longer passive but gets to participate in every day developments, which provides individuals with empowerment. The author then goes on to provide evidence of how the companies are working in an opposite manner compared to the information the general public possesses about company activities. Foer illustrates that the social platforms the companies provide seek to erode people of free will. An example of such a scenario is in the behavioral experiments Facebook conducts (Foer 57). Facebook uses the platform to nudge users in the direction the company deems best for each user. The company does not offer people the freedom of choice like the company claims through popular belief. Both authors maintain the argumentative tones used for the characterizations all through the text.
Main Concepts Identified in Individual Articles
Under the description of the involvement of the food industry, Moss identifies the following concerns. First, the belief that poor willpower contributes to the inability to control consumption of junk food is false (Moss). Research has established that food manufacturers make a conscious effort to get people addicted on foods which corporations can produce with convenience and at a low cost. The...