The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction

between many people in society. Do you think the advantages

outweigh the disadvantages? (08/02/2020)

Recently, facial interaction between people in the community is gradually

being substituted by social media. This essay agrees that the phenomenon has
more drawbacks than its benefits.
On the one hand, there is no denying that social media provides us with
relatively extensive advantages. One of the most prominent benefits is that it
is economical and time-saving. Undoubtedly, if we want to practice our
English by speaking with foreigners, in lieu of taking the airplane to their
country, we just need to stay at our homes using our smartphones, which are
connected to the internet, we can communicate with them through many
available video call applications. As a matter of fact, not only can we save a
large amount of time on the airplane, but we also do not need to spend
massive wealth on the journey’s fees.
On the other hand, it is apparent that the placement of social media for face-
to-face interaction does more harm than good. One of the most noticeable
drawbacks of the phenomenon is the shortage of communication skills. No
doubt, when we communicate through social networking sites, we may not
need to use body language, which is essential in real-life face-to-face
communication, resultantly making us lack body language skills. Moreover,
social media frequently leads to relationship erosion. Irrefutably,
communicating online cannot convey enough information as in facial
interaction, consequently causing misunderstanding and conflict.
In conclusion, although the increasing use of social media over traditional
interactions has many advantages like cost saving or time-saving, its benefits
are outweighed by its cons, such as inferior communication skills or
relationship breakdowns.