Experts throughout the developing and developed world have debated whether the advent of sophisticated modern technology such as mobile phones, laptops and iPads have helped enhance and improve people's social lives or whether the opposite has become the case.

I strongly advocate the former view. This essay will discuss both sides using examples from the UK government and Oxford University to demonstrate points and prove arguments.

On the one hand, there is ample, powerful, almost daily evidence that such technology can be detrimental, especially to the younger generation, who are more easily affected by its addictive nature, resulting in people feeling more isolated from society.

The central reason behind this is twofold; firstly, the invention of online social media sites and apps, such as Twitter and Facebook, hasn't reduced crucial face-to-face interactions dramatically. Through these appealing and attractive mediums, people feel in touch and connected yet lack key social skills and communication abilities.

Secondly, dependence on such devices is built up frighteningly easily, which may damage mental health and encourage a sedentary lifestyle. For example, recent scientific research by the UK government demonstrated that 90% of people in their 30s spend over 20 hours per week on Messenger and similar applications to chat with their friends instead of meeting up and spending quality time together or doing sports. As a result, it is conclusively clear that these technological advancements have decreased and diminished our real-life interactions.

On the other hand, although technological developments have significant downsides, their multifold advantages cannot be denied. This is largely because the popularity of technology, such as cell phones, allows people to connect freely and easily with no geographical barriers.

People can share any news, information, photos and opinions with their loved ones whenever and wherever they want, keeping a feeling of proximity and closeness. For example, an extensive study by Oxford University illustrated that people who work or study abroad and use applications like Facetime and WhatsApp to chat with their families are less likely to experience loneliness and feel out of the loop than those who do not.

Consistent with this line of thinking is that business people can also benefit from these advances by holding virtual real-time meetings using Skype, which may increase the chance of closing business deals without the need to fly.

From the arguments and examples given I firmly believe that overall communication and man’s sociability have advanced enormously due to the huge technological progress of the past twenty years and despite some potentially serious health implications which governments should not fail to address, it is predicted that its popularity will continue to flourish in the future. 

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