You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
With an increasing population communicating via the internet and text messaging, face to face communication will become a thing of the past. To what extent do you agree with this opinion?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer: (Disagreement)
Usages of the internet and smartphones have become a global phenomenon, and we depend on these technological marvels one way or another. While some people assert that the widespread use of internet communication and mobile phones will replace the traditional form of face to face interaction, I completely disagree with this view.
To begin with, the use of the internet and other latest communication technologies drive us to meet new people and contact the dear ones who stay far away. This can especially be true when one gets a chance to express his or her feelings via a text or phone call. To quote an example, Skype and Facebook have enabled people living in far-flung areas to communicate effectively through video chats, thereby enabling us to contact more frequently with people we care about. This has not replaced the way we care and meet others, rather it has made it more convenient and frequent.
While the advancement of technology might scale back in personal contact to some extent for the short term, it, in fact, enables people to become more polarised towards seeing siblings, parents and mates in the long run. This can be easily visualised by taking into account that if we are to sustain the internet as a tool to deliver our emotions and beliefs to the world, we will need to picture proof gatherings, celebrations and events thereby obviating the need for face to face communication.
Secondly, the human is a social being, and it is to the credit of this physical presence that we as a species are able to harness long-term relationships, so its value cannot be undermined. Mere endorsing words of good character by texts cannot inculcate the right kind of virtue, thereby further laying emphasis on human presence for the future is required.
To conclude, by seeing both sides of the spectrum, it is clearly evident that the internet and text messaging will not make the face to face communication a footnote of the past.
[Written by – Sadaf Malik]