© ESL Study Guide
Topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Telephones and email have made communication between people less personal. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Technology has brought both convenience and controversy. While many people argue that devices such as the telephone and email have made communication between people less personal, others believe that the telephone and technology such as email have the opposite effect. I believe that telephones and email have made communication more personal since they help people stay in contact with others over long distances and allow for more frequent communication.
First, telephones and email allow for more personalized communication. Before the telephone and email, people had to wait weeks, or even months, for letters from friends and family. However, through the telephone and email, people can contact others at any time. For example, businessmen traveling abroad can contact the boss and discuss the progress of a sales meeting and any steps that need to be taken immediately, rather than waiting until returning home. After phoning the boss, the salesman can then phone his wife and child asking about how their day went. Email also adds the ability for the husband's wife to send pictures of herself or their new born daughter learning to walk. The more sophisticated technology allows them to stay in contact despite the distance.
Second, telephones and email allow for frequent communication. There is no limit on how many phone calls someone can make. The businessman abroad can phone his boss to give hourly reports of how a specific meeting is progressing. This frequent communication can allow the boss to add a more personal touch to a sales contract being negotiated. This increased frequency also improves the overall efficiency of any transactions or contracts made. In the event of a natural disaster, technology such as the telephone, or more specifically the cellular phone, allows government agencies to swiftly and efficiently deal with recovery efforts with constant and consistent communication abilities.
In short, telephones and email make communication more personal. Both telephones and email allow people to stay in constant contact despite great distances. There are also no limitations on the number of phone calls able to be made or amount of email sent. For these reasons, I believe that the telephone and email makes communication between people more personal.