Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology.
In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships that people make? Has this been a positive or negative development?
It is true that new technologies have had an influence on communication betweenpeople. Technology has affected relationships in various ways, and in my opinion thereare both positive and negative effects.Technology has had an impact on relationships in business, education and sociallife. Firstly, telephones and the Internet allow business people in different countries tointeract without ever meeting each other. Secondly, services like Skype create newpossibilities for relationships between students and teachers. For example, a studentcan now take video lessons with a teacher in a different city or country. Finally, manypeople use social networks, like Facebook, to make new friends and find people whoshare common interests, and they interact through their computers rather than face toface.On the one hand, these developments can be extremely positive. Cooperation betweenpeople in different countries was much more difficult when communication was limitedto written letters or telegrams. Nowadays, interactions by email, phone or video arealmost as good as face-to-face meetings, and many of us benefit from theseinteractions, either in work or social contexts. On the other hand, the availability of newcommunication technologies can also have the result of isolating people anddiscouraging real interaction. For example, many young people choose to make friends
online rather than mixing with their peers in the real world, and these ‘virtual’
relationships are a poor substitute for real friendships.In conclusion, technology has certainly revolutionised communication between people,but not all of the outcomes of this revolution have been positive.(257 words, band 9)