The internet has changed the way we communicate. Much communication today happens through social media. Some people support this and think it is a positive development. Others believe that social media have negative effects. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

In the past twenty years, we have observed an expansion of the internet. Since
then
, our society has found a new way to interact by using social
media
. Numerous social
media
platforms
have been created with different features, but most of them have a common factor, connecting people across the globe. While many people think
this
development is an incredible advance, others think
this
could cause more harm than benefits. Critics of social
media
platforms
point out some important concerns.
Firstly
, since the creation of those websites, it has been a steady increase in fake news.
This
might deeply affect different sectors of our society. Some investigations across the world have shown that fake news posted on social
media
influenced elections in different countries,
such
as Brazil and United States.
Secondly
, there is a security problem. Not only does social
media
has
problems
with keeping privacy data from their users, but
also
there are a lot of scams taking place there. My mother,
for instance
, bought an expensive product from a seller through Facebook. Not only did she not receive their parcel, but
also
her credit card information was stolen, and several illegal transactions were done using her data. While I agree that social
media
must improve, especially regarding privacy and misinformation
problems
, I do not believe that these current issues outweigh the numerous advantages of its use. In my opinion, social
media
’s main benefit is connecting the public.
This
is particularly relevant for lonely individuals, or for those who live far from their loved ones. From my own experience,
for example
, I moved to a different country. Not only do I talk with my parents every day using WhatsApp, but I
also
can share photos on Instagram or Facebook. By doing so, my family can follow my daily activities in a lively manner. If
such
platforms
did not exist, I would need to send those photos by regular mail, which is more expensive and slower. In a nutshell, there are several
problems
that social
media
platforms
and their developers must solve.
However
, since their creation, we could say that the world has become smaller, and we are able to talk with people from different parts of the world.
Therefore
, under no circumstances should allow that those
problems
hamper the use of
such
important
platforms
.
Submitted by mayara_bastos on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • instant communication
  • global connectivity
  • networking opportunities
  • data privacy
  • data breaches
  • mental health issues
  • excessive use
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • feelings of loneliness
  • misinformation
  • fake news
  • public misinformation
  • societal harm
  • shared interests
  • engaged
  • foster communities
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