Sample Essay 12:
It is commonly noticed that people surrounding us stay connected with other people via social networking sites or other applications and technology have totally changed the way people used to communicate, make friends and keep their relationship. This paradigm shift happened basically because of the advances in technology and widespread use of such technological applications. Shall we welcome this shift or be wary about the changes? In this essay, I am going to discuss how technology has affected the types of relationships people make and whether it is considered as a positive or negative development.
First and foremost, I think that the development of technology has enhanced the relationships people make and maintain. For instance, when a student studies abroad and stays far away from his or her family and friends, social networking sites and other applications can help the student staying connected with his or her family and friends through Skype, for instance. In my opinion, in this case, this is a positive development to deal with homesickness or maintain our interactions with people we care about. By comparing to the past decade, when technology was not so advanced, people had to depend on letters to communicate with each other and that was a time-consuming method and it incurred higher cost. In contrast, in today’s world, people just have to be on the laptops or smartphones and can have direct communication and interaction with family and friends. They can see each other contrary to past method of interchanging written words. In this way, people can keep a close relationship with family and friends. We can now make friends beyond borders and that enhances our perspective about other nations and customs. Online groups, social platform and social networking sites bring people together who have common interests and there are many events those people meet and plan for the betterment of the society.
In fact, the implication of technology on people’s relationship is a controversial issue. On the one hand, it is a positive development for helping people stay connected with family and friends and making new friends. On the other hand, it can estrange the relationships people make. The argument that it has a negative influence on people’s relationship is based on the scenario that people will avoid face-to-face communication in the long run. A recent research indicates that virtual communication will weaken the communication skill of a person. I still remember a film that I watched had a scene that showed four friends were having meals in a restaurant. When they sat together, they did not interact with each other face-to-face but through social applications by sending out the emotions in the social group to show their feelings. This example shows a worrying trend as people enjoy interacting virtually more than face to face due to their reliance on technology. It is important to create awareness to the public that actual communication is more important than virtual interaction to minimise its repercussion.
Overall, as far as I am concerned, the advancement of technology has both positive and negative effects on the kind of relationships people make. We have to be aware that actual interaction is more important to enhance a relationship. We shall connect with family and friends virtually only if we are apart from them.