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The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Thanks to the advancement of technology, social networking has been introduced to connect individuals together. However, some people propose that this is the main culprit in reducing direct communication. From my perspective, albeit having a few negative ramifications, social media has more benefits to society.

Granted, social networking sites exert adverse effects on people's real-life day-to-day interactions. One demerit worth mentioning is that it has a detrimental influence on a person’s process of growth. This is predicated on the assumption that communication skills and the ability to understand and appeal to other’s feeling are best developed through social conversations such as attending music club or playing football in a team, while it is a common phenomenon these days that a huge number of people devote a significant proportion of their time using technological gadgets. Therefore, the failure to hone those vital skills will certainly result in them being socially awkward, and failing to meet the many requirements of adulthood such as cooperation or living with others in harmony. Another drawback is that individuals have a tendency to neglect their real-life relationships and focus on their activities on social media. Take teenagers, who are impressionable, as an illustration, they are likely to find making new acquaintances online easier than doing it in real life, so they might indulge in virtual friends rather than their family in the outside world.

Despite the repercussions noted above, I believe that social networking has more merits. Firstly, the number of people working from home has been on the rise because of numerous positive effects such as avoiding traffic jams or geographical distances, but the most important of which is the convenience of social media. A good example is for businessmen, most of them have chosen such technologies to establish pages or groups in order to promote their products. This not only helps them save substantial costs associated with renting an office and staff but also allows them to approach various types of customers. Secondly, social networking sites can be the place for ones who have something in common concentrating. For example, photo sharing applications like Instagram can bring a group who have the same taste in fashion, or online food forums connect people who share a passion for culinary arts. This is a workable method to strengthen the bond in the community.

In conclusion, I am of the opinion that the advantages of using social media as the primary means of communication overshadow the disadvantages that it has.