It is said that the advent of the Internet has bridged the gap between people across the borders. While I would agree that ours is a globalized, networked society thanks to new technologies, a dilution of social relations is also facing us. This essay will shed light on this matter with relevant examples.
On the one hand, online communication enables human beings to connect with one another despite geographical fetters. Today, the Internet has revolutionized our ways of communication. This is attributed to various useful features of social networking sites, such as Facebook or Zalo. These social applications facilitate instant messaging with sounds and high-resolution pictures. Thanks to innovative updates, online users can now send data from one end of the world to another on matters of seconds. Thus, they help to keep updated with people who are forced to live far away from their families and friends for work and study purposes. Hence, by bringing people together without being tied down to specific places, the Internet proves effective as the most preferred medium of daily contact.
On the other hand, virtual connection also poses new challenges to real-life relationships. A sense of freedom to express true feelings anonymously drives many to spend hours gazing at computers and smartphones’ screens. The importance of social life, as a result, is overlooked because people spend too much time online. On top of that, given that online communication is more convenient, many might suppose that it is no longer necessary to meet face-to-face. Subsequently, the situation leads to reduced interaction and loss of communication skills in a long-term sense. As technology continues to develop yet no differences are made, an upsetting vision of “isolated, emotionless communities” is to be achieved.
All things considered, it would seem to me that the development of information and technology is multifaceted. While there is no denying the fact that the Internet has made positive changes to communications, it decreases one’s demand to interact in reality as mentioned above.
