Band 5+: Some people say that instead of seeing the Internet as a way of opening up new communication possibilities world-wide, we should be concerned about the effect this is having on social interaction. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?

There are competing views and reasons for believing that the internet is having a positive and a negative impact on social interactions.

The internet has opened up the possibilities to communicate with people whom previously we would not have spoken to or seen for many years. This has seen an explosion of interest in social media platforms like Facebook, where people can re-connect with old friends. However, many people are spending more time on social media in online communication, rather than spending time communicating with their own family. We know more about the lives and daily activities of our distant friends than we do about those who live under the same roof as we do.

Furthermore, due to all the possibilities the internet provides, which doesn’t only include texting people on the other side of the world, but also watching content others have created for example, it’s easy for one to lose their sense of time. The constant scrolling, the never-ending release of dopamine in our brains is likely to result in a worryingly high screen time. Although, it may seem rewarding and entertaining in the moment, it takes away a huge amount of time, during which we’re watching video after video on a small display. In the time that’s lost, we could’ve met up with friends or generally looked for occasions to socialise. Sitting in the subway nowadays, you barely see any interactions happening, since everybody’s staring at their phone. This way, we’re losing the opportunities to further improve our socialising skills as we get older and the younger generations perhaps don’t even develop them at all.

With all things considered, its safe to say, that the internet has most definitely been an invention beneficial to human-kind in all sorts of fields. Over the past couple decades though, there certainly have been some underlying problems occurring regarding the way and amount of which we as a society are making a use out of it, as it is noticeably affecting our social life. Therefore, if we wanted to use the internet to its full potential, it’s necessary for us to change our attitude towards our displays and figure out, when it’s negatively affecting our behaviour and life.