The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

It is true that more and more
people
all over the world rely on social networking sites to keep in touch with
people
that they know.
While
there are some positive aspects of
this
trend, I believe that
overall
the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. On the one hand, there are two clear advantages of using social
media
rather than depending on face-to-face communication.
Firstly
, in the modern world, families and friends may often be scattered across the globe,
due to
work or study commitments,
for example
. Large family gatherings may be impossible to organise and, without the existence of social
media
, a decline in communication with relatives and close friends might result.
Secondly
, thanks to sites like Facebook or Linkedin, it is now possible to keep in touch with a large number of
people
, sharing photos, making small talk and exchanging news. Many
people
have hundreds of followers on their Facebook page,
for instance
.
On the other hand
, I would argue that there is no substitute for face-to-face
interaction
. One reason is that social
media
discourages real
interaction
and prevents
people
from developing social skills. Humans use all their senses in order to communicate fully,
such
as touch and gestures.
Also
, despite advances in technology, face-to-face
interaction
avoids some of the dangers of social
media
. These include computer hackers and online scams, stealing personal information on networking sites.
For example
, if I announce on Facebook that I will be going abroad on holiday, I may return to find my house has been burgled. In conclusion,
although
most
people
can now access the internet and social
media
are widely used, I consider that the drawbacks of lack of personal contact – compared with face-to-face
interaction
- and issues of privacy outweigh the advantages.
Submitted by phuongdong.nguyentran on

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