Many people think modern communication technology is having some negative effects on social relationships. Do you agree or disagree?

Sample answer band 9:

The prevailing perspective posits that the proliferation of advanced communication technology has a deleterious impact on social relationships, and I am inclined to concur with this viewpoint to a great extent. While it is true that such technology can facilitate human interactions, I firmly believe that its employment in communication endeavors can engender heightened misunderstandings and undermine the cultivation of wholesome and robust relationships.

Foremost, the utilization of technology in communication has engendered a higher frequency of misunderstandings. Specifically, the absence of genuine face-to-face interaction when conversing in the digital realm often leads to misinterpretations and misconstruals. For instance, during an in-person dialogue, nuances such as amiable intonations and mischievous facial expressions serve as cues that an individual is jesting. However, when such communication occurs through online platforms such as Facebook, these indicative signals are absent, rendering the recipients susceptible to misapprehending the intended tone and erroneously perceiving the sender as being incensed or employing sarcasm. This, in turn, can foment burgeoning dissatisfaction and provoke ire among individuals who primarily engage in virtual communication.

Another factor that bolsters my agreement with the notion that contemporary communication technology impairs social interactions pertains to the arduous task of forging trustful relationships in this digital landscape. The pervasive presence of malevolent actors, ranging from scammers to cybercriminals, on social media platforms serves to severely undermine people's capacity to place unwavering trust in others and actively partake in the cultivation of healthy and authentic relationships. For instance, denizens of Twitter now exercise heightened vigilance due to the realization that these digital environs may harbor malefactors who masquerade as upstanding citizens, only to surreptitiously pilfer personal information for the perpetration of financial fraud. Consequently, the formation of close-knit friendships and the expansion of one's social network are rendered increasingly unlikely, potentially constricting the ambit of personal connections for each individual.

Nonetheless, I am not oblivious to the fact that breakthroughs in communication technology can indeed ameliorate interactions between individuals. Most notably, cutting-edge technological advancements have proffered the ability to engage with one's social connections unencumbered by temporal and geographical constraints, thereby facilitating heightened social interactions and augmenting the quality of interpersonal relationships.

In summation, I fervently advocate the proposition that the advent and prevalence of technological advancements in communication engender a palpable jeopardy to social relationships. The prevalent occurrence of misunderstandings and the concomitant challenges in establishing trustful connections are substantial drawbacks that warrant careful consideration. Thus, it is incumbent upon individuals to accord primacy to face-to-face interactions as a means to mitigate these deleterious effects. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge and appreciate the potential positive facets of technology and strive to strike a harmonious equilibrium between virtual and in-person interactions.