You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Television has destroyed communication among friends and family.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
The invention of television is undoubtedly one of the humankind’s greatest inventions. It is a way of communication among people of one country and different countries and nations. People watch TV to find out about the latest news, weather, sports, etc. It is a great way to learn new and extend one’s range of interests. Scientists say that children spend the same amount of hours in front of TV as they do in school. I think that this can be said about many grown people too. Also, television is a great means of eliminating stress and tension. One can relax and leave one’s troubles behind lying on one’s favourite sofa and watching a comedy. However, some people believe that television has destroyed communication among friends and family.
Personally, I do not agree with this statement. A couple centuries ago people spent their time gambling, reading, gossiping or playing chess. I do not think that television is a cause of destroyed communication among family members and friends. First of all, if members of a family have common interests and they want to make each other happy they will always find many ways to spend their time together and be close. Otherwise, if people avoid each other and they do not have anything to share with each other they will find television a great way to escape from this miserable existence. I believe that many people chose family and their friends over some soap operas or a movie.
Second of all, I think that television can be a great resource of subjects to discuss. Many people watch different educational programs to find out more about their environment, nature, wildlife animals, economic situations, etc. So, when they gather with their friends they discuss important issues and argue with each other in looking for the truth.
My husband and I often watch the news channel to keep abreast of the latest news. After that, we always discuss some issues we concerned about. Also, we like to watch a TV show “the funniest animals”. We like this program because it makes us laugh. I cannot imagine how these programs can prevent our communication and be harmful to our relations.
To conclude, I would like to add that if people want to communicate with each other they will find a way to do it. Otherwise, if television were not existent, people would find other escapes and reasons not to be with each other such as drugs, gambling, etc.
(Approximately413words)
(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)
Model Answer 2:
Some people believe that the existence of television brings many negative effects in our communities. It is reported that television is one of the main reasons for the miscommunication problem between families, relatives and friends. I personally disagree with the statement, since it is not the television’s fault, but mainly due the irresponsible act of the individuals themselves, and the following paragraphs will explain it in more details.
For a number of reasons, television brings a lot of benefits for many individuals and societies. Firstly, televisions provide lots of crucial information which are certainly useful for many communities. For example, it is common that news on television informs about the economic and political conditions of a particular country. This crucial information is definitely important for investors, financial analyst or bankers in making short and long term investment. Secondly, television also provides educative shows which are truly beneficial for the communities, specifically for students and scholars. Some of the shows are National Geographic Channel, Discovery or Animal planets which educate the public regarding the wildlife and natural sciences.
On the other hand, some people are addicted to television and have spent a large portion of their personal time in front of the television and ignore their main duties as a member of a family or part of certain communities. I personally think that these kinds of problems are not due to the existence of the television, but due to the individuals themselves who are not capable and responsible in managing their times. It is also noticed that some people are not being wise in utilising their smartphones which certainly exaggerate the issues.
In conclusion, I strongly disagree that televisions have caused some serious problems for individuals in terms of communication among families and friends, as it is the mistake of the individuals themselves who are not being responsible for organising their time.
(Approximately311words)
(This model answer was written by Darwin Lesmana )
Model Answer 3:
In today’s world, television is ever increasing. It is one of the most important things in human life. Almost everybody is using the benefits of television. Some people believe that television has demolished communication among friends and family. In my opinion, however, the opposite is true. Television can increase communication. We see news and other information on TV which gives us things to discuss with our friends and family. Moreover, it also helps us to understand each other.
Television programs give us things to think and talk about. These days it is possible to hear news every time we turn on the television. We hear about things happening all around the world. Everybody has opinions about these things and everybody wants to discuss their opinions with other people. So, TV news and information programs encourage us to discuss our ideas with our friends and family.
Now people in every part of the world have access to the same TV programs. When you go to a new city to work, study, or take a vacation, you will already have something in common with the people there. When you meet new people, you will be familiar with at least some of the same TV programs. This gives you something to talk about.
Most people use TV as a way of entertainment. People who play sports usually like to watch sports on TV. People who like to cook watch cooking shows. If your friends and family watch some of the same programs as you watch, they can learn more about things that interest you. This is a form of communication that helps people to create mutual understanding among them.
In conclusion, these types of communication technology have brought people from all over the world closer together.
(Approximately293words)
(This model answer was written by Sirojiddin.)