Read strategically: track topic sentences, results, and examples.
Nowadays, the way many people interact with each other has changed because of technology. In what ways has
technology affected the types of relationships people make? Has this become a positive or negative development?
Model Essay
Topic sentences are in bold.
Explanations and details are in red.
Examples are in blue.
Results are in green.
Opinions are in orange.
Introduction:
These days, the relationships people have with one another have been reshaped by technological advances. There are several ways in which relationships have been negatively affected by technology. (29 words)
Paragraph 1:
Technology has greatly impacted relationships. One major change is that people now have more acquaintances and fewer close friends. For example, many individuals collect hundreds or thousands of contacts on social media platforms such as Facebook because it is easy to connect online. Thus, technology has reduced face-to-face interaction. Because social media use has become integral to daily life and connecting is effortless, most people spend more time chatting online than meeting in person. (105 words)
Paragraph 2:
I believe that the above changes have been negative. Firstly, people often feel lonelier when they spend more time with a computer than with other human beings. Studies indicate that regular face-to-face interaction supports emotional health, and the lack of such contact has left many people lonely and even depressed. Consequently, those who rely on technology to communicate are gradually losing important social skills. Today, it is common to “communicate” with emoticons or GIFs; however, an unfortunate consequence is that many do not know how to express themselves effectively using body language or tone. (124 words)
Conclusion:
To sum up, people have fewer close friends and maintain less direct contact because of technology. This development is negative because it makes loneliness more likely and reduces social competence. Given this situation, people should deliberately spend less time on electronic devices to improve their relationships with others. (68 words)
Total Word Count: 326 words
Note: This essay type often contains a higher word count because you must fully answer two questions.