© ESL Study Guide
Topic: Do you agree with the following statement? Television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
When television was first introduced it was an appealing novelty that has since gained unprecedented popularity. While some argue that television encourages spirited conversation between friends and family, other believe that television has done the opposite. I believe that television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Television distracts viewers from conversations, losing their train of thought. Television also encourages others to spend the majority of their time watching TV rather than talking with either friends or family.
First, viewers are unable to carry on a conversation while watching television. People are discarding and ignoring potentially important conversations simply by focusing on the television rather than people talking. For example, a saleswoman, who has been yelled at by her boss for something entirely not her fault, may come home and wish to talk about her experience with her husband. Her husband, entirely engrossed in a football match, may just grunt or sigh every time he is asked a question. Spending too much of his attention on whether the Denver Broncos score a touchdown he will be unable to listen to his wife describing her day. This lack of attention is both disrespectful and will lead to a breakdown in communication.
Next, people spend the majority of their time watching television. As the number of television hours increase, people are neglecting time that could have been spent talking with both friends and family. This neglect could lead to the breakdown of relationships between family members and lost friendships. For example, an office worker may come home every night and watch TV to relax and unwind. Being a recent university graduate he may be required to work long hours, always trying to please the boss and advance his career. However, as he spends more time watching TV instead of developing social relationships with friends, he may lose many chances to develop friendships within the company. By ignoring previous friends, he would also face the chance of losing them. Within a matter of months, he may find all his friends have moved on without him.
In conclusion, while television's primary goal is to provide entertainment, watching too much television causes many problems. Viewers will be unable to focus on conversations that are taking place and begin spending too much time watching television rather than developing actual relationships. Rather than losing or destroying relationships with friends and family, people should remember that a real relationship involves two or more people that both put in effort.