Open World p 25. Essay about the impact of social media on human relationships. Written mediation task. Word Formation

Read the instructions for the task. With the information given, produce a text using your own words. (approximately 200 words) 

Task description 

You have had a class discussion on the impacts of social media. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay for your class based on some opinions expressed in the discussion and to analyse the positive and negative impacts of social media. You should say which impacts of social media on human relationships are more significant, giving reasons in support of your answer. Include your own opinions on this subject.

Write your essay

Opinions expressed in the discussion:

"It's easy to keep in touch now that we've left school."

"I've discovered a completely new hobby." 

"It's good to know there are people who share my views." 

"I feel everybody is having more fun than I am. This makes me feel increasingly despondent."

"It seems everybody else has lots of friends. I feel so left out."

"My Instagram friends constantly publish selfies of their beautiful faces and bodies. I wish I were so good-looking" 

"Very often I see groups of friends looking at their phones and not speaking to one another" 

"There are social media users who seem to enjoy taking the mickey out of other more sensitive users" 


 



Sample answer

The impacts of social media on human relationships

Social media has had a (1)_________ (REMARK) effect on human relationships in the last few years. I will focus on the merits and (2)_________ (MERIT) I think are particularly important. On one hand, how social media helps people stay in touch with loved ones and facilitates finding people with shared interests. And on the other hand, how it can damage self-esteem and body image and may even be (3)_______________ (DETRIMENT) to face-to-face communication.
 

To begin with, the main impact of social media is improving our ability to communicate with one another. For example, in the past, when someone left school or university, it was easy to lose touch with their friends. Nowadays, however, not only can people (4)____________ (SUCCESS) communicate with one another on social media platforms, but also keep up to date (5)__________ (SIMPLE) by checking their posts, without needing to directly talk to them. What is more, you can do this with people anywhere in the world, because your geographical location is (6)____________ (RELEVANCE) on social media.

Furthermore, social media platforms are ideal for putting (7)______________ (MIND) people together. There are social media groups or communities for all interests where you can share knowledge and ideas and even form (8)____________ (FRIEND). Say you are fan of a popular TV show and want to discuss it with other fans, you will have no problem finding a forum to discuss it on, no matter where you are in the world.

On the other side of the coin, teenagers on social media spend much of their time observing the lives and images of their peers. This leads to constant comparisons, which can harm their confidence and their self-image, (9)_____________ (EXACERBATION) depression and anxiety among adolescents. This is made even worse by cyberbullying, which remains rampant on social media. Unfortunately, it has been on the rise amongst adolescents due, in part, to increased access to electronic devices, the Internet, and at times lack of (10)_______________ (SUPERVISE) of online activity. It can be argued that cyberbullying is a more (11)___________ (THREATEN) form of aggression than traditional bullying, as cyberbullies can remain (12)____________ (ANONYMITY), causing bullying to occur around the clock. What is also an issue is that the act of a cyberbully can be viewed (13)____________ (REPEAT) and shared with others without limit, making it difficult for support networks to shield victims from cyberbullying. (14)____________ (LIKE) traditional bullying, cyberbullying can be (15)____________ (GO), even after the youth has left school grounds, making a teen feel (16)___________ (HELP) and without haven.

In addition, cell phones connect us to people far away – but distance us from the ones right in front of us. No one would dispute the fact that smartphones have changed the world. As a matter of fact, a quick glance around any street or (17)___________ (COMMUNE) space shows how (18)______________ (DOMINATION) our favourite digital devices have become. We are familiar with the sight of groups of teenagers not talking, but (19)___________ (EAGER) composing messages and posts on their screens. Or seeing couples dining (20)______________ (SILENT) in restaurants, ignoring the romantic (21)____________ (FLICKER) candle in favour of the (22)___________ (COMFORT) blue light of their phones. But why do these devices that are meant to connect us when we are far apart seem to cause so much division when we are close together? There can be no doubt that even in a (23)________ (RAPID) (24)____________ (DIGIT) world, face-to-face interactions remain the most (25)____________ (INTIMACY) ones.

In conclusion, there are many positive aspects of social media for human relationships. Personally speaking, I think the most (26)___________ (SIGNIFICANCE) of these is how it enhances our ability to stay in touch, something that is becoming (27)_____________ (INCREASE) difficult to do in real life due to the changes our society is going through. Nevertheless, we need to be aware of the (28)______________ (DESIRE) effects social media can exert, not (29)__________ (LESS) on young minds and as a society take the necessary measures to avoid any (30)___________ (HARM) consequences.

 

KEY

 

1. remarkable 

 

 

 

2. demerits 

 

 

 

3. detrimental 

 

 

 

4. successfully 

 

 

 

5. simply 

 

 

6. irrelevant 

 

 

 

7. like-minded 

 

 

 

8. friendships 

 

 

 

9. exacerbating 

 

 

 

10. supervision 

 

 

 

11. threatening  

 

 

 

12. anonymous 

 

 

 

13. repeatedly 

 

 

 

14. Unlike 

 

 

 

15. ongoing 

 

 

 

16. helpless 

 

 

 

17. communal 

 

 

 

18. dominant 

 

 

 

19. eagerly 

 

 

 

20. silently 

 

 

 

21. flickering 

 

 

 

22. comforting 

 

 

 

23. rapidly 

 

 

 

24. digitised  

 

 

 

25. intimate 

 

 

 

26. significant 

 

 

 

27. increasingly 

 

 

 

28. undesirable 

 

 

 

29. least 

 

 

 

30. harmful 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.