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  4. A for and against essay about online communication

A for and against essay about online communication

Look at the essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills. 

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then read the text and do the other exercises.

Preparation

Reading

Online communication is preferable to face-to-face communication. Discuss.

1In today's world 3we find ourselves communicating more and more through online channels 5such as messaging, social media and video calls, often at the expense of face-to-face dialogue. 4There are certain situations where online communication is unavoidable 4but others where we opt for virtual over real-life conversation. 1Which begs the question: is online communication preferable in today's world?

1To begin with, I'd like to outline the advantages of online communication. 4One of the main arguments in its favour is that it opens up the possibility of communicating with people in different places around the globe. 3This has considerable benefits in the workplace as 5meetings can take place via videoconferencing between Stockholm, San Francisco and Shanghai without the need for time-consuming, exhausting, long-haul business trips. 4Furthermore, it provides opportunities for long-distance families and friends to keep in touch on a daily basis. 4Another point is that written online communication gives us the option of responding either immediately or at a time that suits us as well as allowing us to edit and polish our message.

 

1On the other hand, there are several significant drawbacks to over-reliance on online communication. 3Some experts are concerned that a lack of face-to-face interaction impedes the development of vital social skills 5such as empathising and reacting to situations in real time. 4Also, the very nature of conversation is different in the virtual world. If short snippets of dialogue embellished with emoticons replace longer stretches of direct conversation with emotions expressed on real faces, we're running the risk of losing the art of real conversation.

1On balance, 2I believe that online communication brings an overall advantage in today's fast-paced, global society. 4However, 2we should take care not to overlook the benefits of engaging in face-to-face dialogue.

Top Tips for writing

  1. Use the correct structure: key points for, key points against, conclusion.
  2. Be objective. Give a balanced argument and make your overall opinion clear in the conclusion.
  3. Use neutral or Formal language. Don't use emotional or informal language.
  4. Use suitable words or expressions to introduce, add, contrast and link ideas.
  5. Include examples to illustrate ideas.

Worksheets and downloads

A for and against essay about online communication - exercises882.87 KB
A for and against essay about online communication - answers260.13 KB
A for and against essay about online communication - essay650.31 KB
A for and against essay about online communication - writing practice243.51 KB
Discussion

Do you prefer online or face-to-face communication? Why? Which type of communication do you think is more important in today’s world, and why?

Language level
C1 Advanced
Topics
essay
writing
communication
interpersonal communication
Average: 2.8 (26 votes)
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Comments

Submitted by Chairface22 on Sun, 07/06/2026 - 20:47

I feel like this topic is very nuanced, It's hard to determine which one specifically is objectively better.
From my point-of-view, I see online communication as my friends anywhere I want them. In a car? Sure. In a restaurant? Absolutely. At a funeral? Why would you? Point is: They can be anywhere you want them to be, at the cost of speed and clarity. In my opinion, the two biggest flaws in online communication is how fast you can write out your message, and how clearly you can convey it.
Speed is important because if more than one person is typing at a time, is can get very chaotic, very quickly. If you've ever been in a group chat with more than 5 people, you'd know what I mean. And because you have to manually type out every message you have, unless you know how to type quickly, someone is going to type something out before you do, and usually with lots of typos.
Which leads me to my second issue. Clarity is important too because how would anyone understand what you're trying to say if it's not clear? Typos are the big evil antagonist of messages, too many typos and now you have to slowly go back through and spell check yourself. Which can be very tedious and annoying.
And the real cherry on top is not everyone is good at writing, in English or their native language. Some people are mediocre while others didn't even know it's a language. It's simply too apparent to ignore.
With that being said, companies have tried to solve these issues, like Google with Gboard, an alternate keyboard with lots of customizability. I've tried Gboard and it's a good mobile keyboard, I like it's features and customizability, but I digress.
Within Gboards settings, there is auto-correct and voice-typing to solve each issue. I haven't tried voice typing yet, so I'll jump to auto-correct. Auto-correct automatically corrects your typos by attempting to guess what you're trying to type. I know, extraordinary analytical skills. I think it's decent enough, it does have a few issues, like how janky it is, especially when trying to undo the auto-correct. Overall, auto-correct is only useful if you're really THAT BAD at spelling (like me).
After discussing the nuances of digital communication, it's time I talk about face-to-face communication. With F-T-F (an abbreviation of face-to-face), you can talk as fast as you want and you can fix any hiccup very quickly, and efficiently. And if you're flawless with your speech, you can start speaking faster, and faster, and faster, until you can't because no one understands what you're saying, which is another issue. Some people have speech impediments which disallows them from speaking with clarity, and others have bad habits, like talking too fast, constantly pausing to think, saying words incorrectly.
Issues like these are unsolvable, because they rely on you, and if you can't change your habits, no one will change them for you.
My final conclusion: This is a subjective topic, you get to decide which one is best for you, that's the point of being human and forging your own path. With that being said, Online communication is objectively better because of GIFs and because I said so.

Submitted by Fancy2010 on Tue, 04/11/2025 - 18:03

Well, as we all may be aware of, spartphones and other digital screens are getting prevalent among teenagers and kids nowadays, and consequently, online communications are increasing rapidly. I can find this relatable myself, as a 15 year old teenager. However, I would still prefer face to face communication. A good point includes the fact that we teenagers don't like people that respond to our texts/SMS late, and through that, I would rather converse with an individual face to face, so that my respond can come immediately. So yes, aside from various of other reasons why, this is the main reason.

Submitted by stealabubblegum on Mon, 20/10/2025 - 13:28

I prefer face-to-face communications, because you can see the reactions and feelings from the person better.

Submitted by Tjockis on Wed, 18/09/2024 - 07:16

I more prefer face-to-face communication because I think people can express own feelings better. This is right due to real environment and eye-to-eye contact. But when I come to question which type of communication is more important my answear will change. My answear is online communication is more important due to more reasons. One of them is that people in forein country far away from their family, friends can talk with them. Also online communication is very important for jobs. For example more businessmans are meeting with online connection. With this meetings are easily and faster than travel from one place to another.

Submitted by pomelo on Mon, 24/04/2023 - 15:04

I think face-to-face communication is better because it is easier to hand over the work and it will be easier to talk. Talking about the type of communication, I think online and in person because both are very necessary for the world now

Submitted by Rhylan on Fri, 22/04/2022 - 17:59

I more prefer face-to-face communication because I think people can express own feelings better. This is right due to real environment and eye-to-eye contact. But when I come to question which type of communication is more important my answear will change. My answear is online communication is more important due to more reasons. One of them is that people in forein country far away from their family, friends can talk with them. Also online communication is very important for jobs. For example more businessmans are meeting with online connection. With this meetings are easily and faster than travel from one place to another.

Submitted by TheNewGuy on Tue, 27/07/2021 - 13:17

I prefer face-to-face conversations. It is easier to understand someone when you can hear their tone of voice and see their facial expressions. However, emoticons and the usage of /j or /s (which means “joke” or “sarcasm”) make it harder to misinterpret the meaning of someone’s message, but I don’t think that it is a complete replacement.

Submitted by Msharymnn on Fri, 01/01/2021 - 21:56

I prefer online because I can say what I want without any embarrsement but face to face is good for health but you cannot say everything you want to and we can communicate anyone online so I think I prefer it online

Submitted by hentainisizaki on Tue, 03/11/2020 - 02:09

In today, online communication plays a so important role. We can communicate with friends who are far away and many other things. For me, I prefer live communication because we can see friends, their emotions and in general so much more pleasant. Internet communication is very advanced but it can never replace live communication. Thank you. up

Submitted by hentainisizaki on Tue, 03/11/2020 - 01:52

Today we always use smartphones. Even though,a few people use letters. It is too late.
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Submitted by s1rko on Sat, 13/06/2020 - 12:42

In today's world of technology, online communication plays an important role. You can communicate with a friend who is very far away and many other things. As for me, I prefer live communication because you can see a friend, his emotions and in general so much more pleasant. Internet communication is very advanced but it can never replace live communication.

Submitted by nikhals on Sun, 24/05/2020 - 09:18

In today's world there are so many technology's coming up and out of them is online communication. We all are already so much involved in electronic gadgets so, I think there is a lack in face to face communication.
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