In what ways has technology affected personal relationships ? Has this become a positive or negative development?

Advances in technology have without doubt influenced the way we communicate with each other in a number of different ways. While some of this change can have a negative influence on the we way interact, my view is that overall modern technology typically improves communication in personal relationships.

It is clear that technology has changed the way we communicate in several respects. Perhaps the clearest example of this is that nowadays many people prefer to keep in touch to their friends and relatives using applications and social networking sites like FaceTime, Skype and Facebook. Another way this change is evident is how the email and texting have almost completely replaced the letter as the primary form of written communication. Because these modern forms of communication are typically much more convenient and instant, one result is that we can communicate more easily with people who we do not see on a daily basis.

I would argue that these innovations have mostly improved personal relationships. The principal benefit is that it just so much easier to stay in touch with people we might otherwise lose contact with. It is for example now very straightforward to keep in contact with friends from university who move to different cities after they graduate and this means relationships last longer. The only real drawback is that sometimes people become so addicted to their online social networks that they stop communicating with friends in the real world. That, however, is a minor issue.

My conclusion is therefore that new forms technological communication have in fact largely improved human interaction because emails, texting and social networks enable us to maintain friendships which might otherwise be lost.

(278 words)

Television has had a significant influence on the culture of many societies. To what extent would you say that television has positively or negatively affected the cultural development of your society?

Use your own knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

You should write at least 250 words.

Model Answer 1:
It has been many years since television was first introduced to people and people today still have mixed views on whether it has a positive or a negative influence on the society.

Many people believe that television damages culture. It promotes the stronger cultures of countries such as Britain and North America and weakens the cultures of less wealthy countries. This is because the stronger, wealthier countries are able to assert their own culture by producing more programs that are shown widely around the world. These programs then influence people, particularly young people, in the countries where they are shown.

Also, because television networks need to attract large audiences to secure their financial survival, they must produce programs which are interesting to a broad range of people. In many countries, this range is very broad because we are a multicultural society and people of all ages like to watch television. To interest all these different people, most television programs are short in length, full of action and excitement, do not require much intelligence or knowledge to understand, and follow universal themes common to all cultures, such as love and crime. Television programs which concentrate on or develop themes pertinent to one particular culture are not so successful because they interest a smaller audience.

Nevertheless, we much acknowledge that television does have some positive effects on the cultures within a society as well. People who do not live within their own culture can, in a limited way, access it through the multicultural station on the television. For example, Aboriginal children who have grown up in white families, or migrants and international students living in a foreign country, can watch programs from their own culture on the television.

In conclusion, I hold the view that television promotes and strengthens those cultures that are wealthy and influential while it weakens the cultures that are already in a weakened position.

(Approximately 317 words)

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