IELTS Task 2 sample essay: Does Technology Isolate People?

It is often said that modern technology, especially smartphones and social media, has made people more isolated. I agree only partly: technology can isolate people when it replaces face-to-face contact, but for many it has made staying connected easier than ever.

There is clear evidence that technology can push people apart. A family sitting together at dinner, each member looking at a separate screen, is a familiar sight, and in public places people often turn to their phones rather than to each other. Online interaction, however frequent, can be shallow: a hundred likes on a photograph do not offer the same comfort as one friend who notices that something is wrong. For some young people in particular, hours spent scrolling replace the time they might once have spent with friends, and rates of loneliness among teenagers have become a serious concern.

Yet for many people technology has the opposite effect. Families separated by migration can now see and speak to each other every day through video calls, something that was impossible for previous generations. Older people who cannot easily leave their homes can stay in touch with relatives and join online communities, and people with rare illnesses or unusual interests can find others who share their experience, wherever they live.

The difference lies less in the technology itself than in how it is used. When devices replace real meetings, they isolate; when they make contact possible where it would otherwise be lost, they connect.

In conclusion, modern technology has made some people more isolated, particularly when screens take the place of face-to-face time. However, it has also connected people across distances in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago, so its overall effect depends on how we choose to use it.