Some people believe that the internet has improved communication, but others believe that it has
damaged communication.
Discuss both views and give your opinion
A
In recent years, the internet has had a dramatic impact on the way that the world
communicates. While some people argue that changes to communication caused by the
internet have been negative, I agree with others who believe that these changes have been for
the better.
Many people believe that the internet has enhanced our ability to communicate. One way
that the internet has improved communication, they say, is that it has made communication
more efficient. For example, it would have once taken weeks to send a letter to someone living
in another country, but it can now be done instantly though email. Also, the internet has made
communication more convenient, because we can now send an email to someone regardless of
whether that person is busy or sleeping, rather than having to wait until schedules can be
coordinated for an in‐person meeting or a telephone call.
However, many people argue that communication has not been improved by the internet,
but, rather, that it has been damaged. They cite the fact that many teenagers and young
adults spend so much time sending quick messages on FaceBook and Twitter that they forget
how to write using formal language. For example, many students now use abbreviations like
“LOL” even when they are writing essays for school. Secondly, many people now interact more
often on the internet than they do in person, so they are not comfortable meeting new people
or interacting in a real life environment.
Having considered both arguments, it is clear to me that, on the whole, the internet has had a
positive effect on communication. While there is some risk that people will forget how to
communicate in traditional ways, this is more than made up for by the fact that the internet has
the internet has certainly made communication more efficient and convenient.
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Over the past 30 years, the internet has slowly destroyed the ability of the members of society to
communicate with each other.
To what extent to you agree or disagree with this opinion.
B
It has been claimed that communication has been degraded due to the internet. While I believe
that it is true that the internet has had a somewhat negative effect on traditional forms of
communication, it has been beneficial to communication in some other ways by making it
easier.
On the one hand, it is true that the internet has damaged our ability to communicate
traditionally. Firstly, many people spend so much time sending quick messages on Facebook
and Twitter that they forget how to write using formal language. For example, many young
people now use abbreviations like “LOL” even when they are writing essays for school. Secondly,
many people now interact more often on the internet than they do in person, so they are not
comfortable meeting new people or interacting in a real life environment.
On the other hand, the internet has made many types of communication less difficult. One
way that the internet has improved communication is that it has made communication more
efficient. For example, it would have once taken weeks to send a letter to someone living in
another country, but it can now be done instantly though email. Also, the internet has made
communication more convenient, because we can now send an email to someone regardless of
whether that person is busy or sleeping, rather than having to wait until schedules can be
coordinated for an in‐person meeting or a telephone call.
For all of these reasons, although it is true that the internet has led to the use of informal
language and an inability of some people to communicate comfortably face‐to‐face, I believe
that this is more than made up for by the fact that communication is now more efficient and
convenient than ever before.
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Over the past 30 years, the internet has slowly destroyed the ability of some people to communicate
effectively face‐to‐face which each other.
Offer some solutions to this problem.
C
Over the past few decades, the internet has significantly changed the way that we communicate with
one another. Because people have gotten so used to interacting online, many of them now feel less
comfortable talking to each other face‐to‐face. Fortunately, there are several possible measures which
both individuals and teachers could take to tackle this problem.
Individuals certainly have a role to play in reducing this problem. Firstly, individuals should take the
time to think about messages that they send online, whether it is in a formal email or an informal social
media post. For example, people should think about how their message will be received by whoever they
are sending it to. Secondly, individuals should make sure that they are communicating with people
offline every day. If they have been at home sitting in front of their computer all day, they should either
go outside to talk to someone or they should make a phone call to a friend.
Teachers also have some responsibility for preventing the decline of offline communication. One thing
that teachers could do would be to include a lot of group activities in their classes. This way, students
would be forced to practice their face‐to‐face communication skills. Teachers also should stress the value
of formal writing, and should not be tolerant of social media acronyms making their way into formal
writing assignments. If a teacher accepts informal language without questioning it, it only reinforces the
idea that that language is appropriate in all contexts.
Although the problems facing communication due to the internet are very serious, if these solutions are
put into place by both educators and individuals, the problems will be greatly reduced in the near
future.
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Over the past 30 years, the internet has had a big effect on the way that people communicate with
each other, with more and more of our communication now taking place on line.
Do the benefits of online communication compared to traditional, offline communication outweigh
the drawbacks.
D
Most communication has historically taken place face‐to‐face, but over the past few decades,
due to the invention and spread of the internet, a significant amount of communication is now
being done online. While there are some drawbacks to online communication, I believe that
they are outweighed by the advantages.
It is clear that there are several benefits to online communication. The largest benefit is that it
is communication more efficient than traditional, off‐line communication. For example, it would
have once taken weeks to send a letter to someone living in another country, but it can now be
done instantly though email. Also, the internet makes communication more convenient,
because we can now send an email to someone regardless of whether that person is busy or
sleeping, rather than having to wait until schedules can be coordinated for an in‐person meeting
or a telephone call.
However, it is true there are also some disadvantages to online communication. Firstly, it is
very difficult to distinguish the tone of an online message, so arguments can occur because
someone misinterpreted a joke in an email as a serious statement. In traditional
communication, this is less common, because people can see from your face and hear from your
voice whether or not you are trying to be rude. Secondly, many people sending quick messages
on Facebook and Twitter ignore rules about grammar, and this can make their messages less
clear and can lead to them forgetting about grammar rules even when they are required to
write something that is more formal.
All things considered, I believe that the advantages of online communication outweigh the
disadvantages because the increased efficiency and convenience are worth having the
occasional misunderstanding.
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In recent years, many children have become less skilled at communicating with each other face‐to‐
face.
Describe the cause of this problem and offer some solutions.
E
Over the past few decades, a lot of children have started to have more difficulty when
communicating with each other in person. For example, many students are now so shy that
they hate talking to anyone else. The internet is one major cause of this degraded
communication, but, fortunately, there are also several possible solutions.
The largest cause of the recent decline of communication is the internet, which has
significantly changed the way that we communicate with one another. Whereas we used to
have to make time to talk to someone face‐to‐face or make a phone call, we can now send a
quick emoticon or acronym on Facebook or a short email without putting much thought into it.
Because people have gotten so used to interacting online, many of them now feel less
comfortable talking to each other face‐to‐face. For example, there are many teenagers who feel
comfortable posting long, personal messages on Facebook, but are too shy to answer a question
in class.
Both individuals and teachers have the ability to help prevent the further decline of in‐person
communication. Firstly, individuals should take the time to think about messages that they
send online, whether it is in a formal email or an informal social media post. For example,
people should think about how their message will be received by whoever they are sending it to.
Secondly, they should make sure that they are communicating with people offline every day,
whether than be in person or by telephone. At the same time, teachers should include a lot of
group activities in their classes so that students will be forced to practice their face‐to‐face
communication skills.
Although the problems facing communication due to the internet are very serious, if these
solutions are put into place, the problems will be greatly reduced in the near future.
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