IELTS Writing Task 2: Social media – IELTS Practice Online (Band 9)

The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society.

Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Sample Answer

Social media has deeply infiltrated into everyone’s life and is believed to be replacing our face-to-face interaction. This situation, although advantageous in certain aspects, is generally a detriment to true human communication in the long run.

On the one hand, there are a number of benefits from using social networks to communicate. Firstly, they facilitate communication in the modern times as now people can globally connect with old friends and relatives or with others who share common interests. For example, Facebook is currently providing service for 2.4 billion users who can choose to connect and interact with anyone they want, regardless of where they are. Secondly, study sessions are frequently happening on social networking websites through live streaming services. Therefore, learners around the world now can have free access to online classes on such sites.

On the other hand, the disadvantages of social media replacing face-to-face interaction are much more concerning. As these sites are becoming more and more dominant and attract large numbers of new users every day, people can fall prey to online communication abuse, such as online bullying and harassment. In fact, social networking websites can become a toxic environment where users can be verbally assaulted because there are only a few rules, most of which are spoken rules rather than established guidelines, that restrict hateful or abusive contents. Furthermore, overuse of social media to communicate can lead to people downplaying the importance of face-to-face interaction on which true human relationships thrive. Nowadays, many young and reclusive users prefer living in a virtual world on social sites than engaging in real-life relationships. This may have serious mental effects, such as increased stress, anxiety and loneliness.

In conclusion, the downsides of social media replacing face-to-face interaction are more significant than the benefits users could reap from those sites.