Please review my Task 2 Essay. Thank you very much.

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

My essay:

There has been an increase in the use of social media recently, which is gradually substituting face-to-face interaction. Although such a tendency is advantageous in some aspects, its drawbacks could outweigh the beneficial effects.

On the one hand, there are some benefits of using social media to communicate. The first advantage is that it could facilitate communication throughout the world. People could globally connect with someone who shares common interests, building up relationships with more friends coming from different nations and religions. Some people could even meet their lovers through social media. Another major benefit is that companies could advertise their products by posting them on several social media websites such as Facebook and Instagram. These websites have millions of users, which make many marketing campaigns more effective and reachable. This would also save more money for corporates since this way of advertisement is far less exorbitant than showing their products on TV.

On the other hand, the disadvantages of this tendency are much more concerning. First, people could suffer from online bullying and harassment. This is the case when they post something such as pictures, or videos on social media, they are likely to be verbally assaulted by comments which contain hateful and abusive contents. This would upset these users, leading to depression and a sense of inferiority, even worse, resulting in committing suicide. Second, the increasing use of social media makes people, especially the young, become unlikely to engage in any real-life relationships. It is because they find the virtual world a safe place where they could be harmed by anything. Prolonged exposure to social media could trigger serious mental effects such as increased stress, anxiety, and loneliness.

In conclusion, it is undeniable that social media could help people to contact others around the world, and be an efficient way of advertisement. However, the downsides of the virtual world are more significant than the positive aspects as it could seriously affect our mental health and may have some unwanted repercussions.

Have a good day.