ESSAY INFORMATION:
Written by: Xuân Phi, 28/11/2022
Supported by: Ex-BC Examiner, 29/11/2022
Question: Many people think modern communication technology is having some negative effects on social relationships. Do you agree or disagree?
(IELTS Academic – 26/11/2022)
ANSWER (8.0+):
Some hold a view that advanced communication technology is adversely affecting social relationships. I mostly agree with this view since it can bring about greater misunderstandings and a lack of healthy relationships although it can facilitate human interactions.
The first justification for my agreement is that the utilization of technology in communication has given rise to more frequent misunderstandings. More specifically, people may misinterpret what others convey due to the lack of genuine interaction as they converse with each other via online platforms. For instance, with a pleasant tone and mischievous face, people can show that they are joking during face-to-face conversations; however, if they communicate via networking sites such as Facebook in the same way, recipients can misunderstand the same utterance and falsely believe that the sender is angry or sarcastic instead. Therefore, there would arise growing dissatisfaction and outrage among individuals who have a habit of communicating virtually.
Another reason why I agree that social interactions are being negatively impacted by current communication technology is that people can find it harder to establish trustful relationships. This is because there are numerous scammers, criminals and other corrupt individuals who approach people on social media for nefarious purposes, making them potentially suffer from many toxic and troubled online relationships. To illustrate, Twitter users these days tend to raise their vigilance as they acknowledge that cybercriminals who make friends with them in this social platform can disguise themselves as genuine citizens who then go on to steal their personal information for financial fraud. As a result, close-knit friendships are unlikely to be nurtured, potentially narrowing each individual’s circle of relationships.
On the other hand, I concede that breakthroughs in communication technology can also improve interactions between individuals. Most importantly, cutting-edge technology allows people to engage with their connections regardless of time and geographical constraints, thus facilitating the increase of social interactions and therefore enhancing humans’ interpersonal relationships.
In conclusion, I strongly advocate the idea that technological advancements in communication can jeopardize social relationships as more misunderstandings can arise and reliable relationships can be difficult to forge. It is advisable that people should favour face-to-face interactions to eliminate these drawbacks.
(Word count: 358)
WORD LIST:
| ENGLISH | TIẾNG VIỆT |
| Facilitate human interactions | Tạo điều kiện thuận lợi cho sự tương tác của con người |
| The lack of genuine interaction | Sự thiếu sự tương tác thật |
| Mischievous face | Khuôn mặt tinh nghịch |
| Utterance | Lời nói, câu nói |
| Outrage | Sự phẫn nộ |
| Have a habit of communicating virtually | Có thói quen giao tiếp trực tuyến |
| Establish trustful relationships | Thiết lập các mối quan hệ đáng tin cậy |
| Corrupt individuals | Các cá nhân xấu |
| Toxic and troubled online relationships | Các mối quan hệ trực tuyến độc hại và rắc rối |
| Raise their vigilance | Nâng cao cảnh giác |
| Disguise | Cải trang |
| Financial fraud | Sự lừa đảo tài chính |
