IELTS Speaking Part 3 topic: Technology.

1. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology.

2. In what ways has technology changed your society?

3. How has technology changed the way we communicate?

4. How has technology changed the nature of long-distance relationships?

5. What are the limitations of technology when it comes to interpersonal

relationships?

6. How could technology be considered a hindrance for us? Can we

overcome it?

Q. 1. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology.

Answer: Modern technology today is an integral part of our lives, and

therefore, we will have to live with it whether we like it or not.

Among the advantages of modern technology, I can say that it has made
our lives much easier than it used to be ever before a few decades ago. It
has revolutionized our production systems in all kinds of businesses and
industries by increasing the output, quality and efficiency at all levels. The
advancement in the communication technology, with the advent of the
internet, has made communication among us so easy and fast that we can
actually talk to each other on video even if we are a world apart from each
other. Besides, modern technologies also made it pretty easy for us to get
access to virtually any kind of information at any time and anywhere
through smart gadgets like the iPad, iPhone, Galaxy tablets and etc.
Finally, the use of modern technology has also made it very easy for us to
travel long distances really fast. In fact, nowadays, we can travel a 10 miles
distance within just a few minutes, if not any lesser, by using electric
trains, aeroplanes and fast cars which were almost impossible even a few
decades ago.

On the other hand, one of the greatest disadvantages of using modern

technology is it makes us “idle” to a point that we don’t even make an
effort to do a calculation as simple as adding or subtracting and use a
calculator to do it. But the problem with such “inaction” is that we are
actually killing some of our memory cells in our brain. Modern technology
is also being used to bring deaths and destruction upon this earth as it
helps in building such advanced new war weapons that it was even
impossible to imagine them even a few decades back. Finally, as most
technological discoveries aim to reduce human efforts, it would only mean
that more work is done by machines instead of humans. And as a result,
more and more people are losing their jobs to machines as processes are
becoming automated, and humans just can’t compete with such processes.

Q. 2. In what ways has technology changed your society?

Answer: For better or worse, technology has changed our society in the
way we are earning our livings and the way we interact with each other. It
also has changed our “mobility”. Nowadays, because of technology, we
don’t rely on just one source of income, and as a result, society has
become more “affluent” than in the past. Another remarkable change, that
has taken place in our society for good, is that we can travel to any place at
any time without wasting our time. Besides, with the advancement of
information technology such as the internet and smartphones, my small
society feels like it has suddenly become a part of a “much bigger global
community”.

Q. 3. How has technology changed the way we communicate?

Answer: Technology pretty much has changed each and every aspect of
our lives, but perhaps it is safe to say that it has changed the way we
communicate with each other the most with the advent of the internet,
mobile phones and smart gadgets.

Technology has indeed proved the age-old saying “talk is cheap”- so

cheap that we talk to each other by using our phones pretty much always,
whether we are staying close to each other or far apart, even when we don’t
need it. We have also become lazy to walk even 100 feet or a few minutes
these days if we are in need to communicate something to our friends or
families since we can do the same in seconds just by pushing a button on
our phones. But, if we are not in a mood or feel really lazy to “talk”
sometimes, we simply leave or send a message on social media networks
and “messenger” to inform others about our “status”. Finally, technology
has made communication really “personal” as we can see each other on
live video while communicating, no matter where we live with the use of the
internet.

Q. 4. How has technology changed the nature of long-distance

relationships?

Answer: Technology has changed the nature of long-distance relationships

mostly for the better. In the past, we would have to rely on “postal mails”,
or expensive “long distance” calls from our land phones, to communicate
with each other. But even that was not always possible due to the limited
“infrastructure” necessary to ensure these services efficiently. But, with
the improvement in the communication infrastructure and communication
technologies, such as internet and smartphones, we can not only
communicate with each other in seconds, but we can actually see each
other live on video, even if we live in another corner of the world. So, by the
way, we wouldn’t be really very surprised if we see one day that the ‘postal
mails” are being preserved in a museum as a “thing of the past”.
Q. 5. What are the limitations of technology when it comes to interpersonal
relationships?

Answer: Continuing a healthy “interpersonal relationship” is very

important for our overall wellbeing. But, unfortunately, modern technology
has affected our lives rather negatively by taking the all-important
“emotion” away from us to a large extent. In fact, with the advancement of
technology, we have become so busy and “robotic” that we don’t even care
to say “hello” to the closest members of our families, let alone spending
some quality “family time” with them. As a result, the “personal ties and
bonds” are becoming very loose with our family members, especially when
it comes to the elderly ones, and friends which certainly doesn’t augur well
for the wellbeing of our society.

Q. 6. How could technology be considered a hindrance for us? Can we

overcome it?

Answer: Modern technology can be considered as an impediment for us

when we are relying too much on it. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration
to suggest that technology is limiting our potentials and growth, as
humans, both physically and mentally. For example, before the
advancement of modern technology, we used to walk to a local grocery
shop, in order to buy our groceries, which was certainly good for our
health and minds (since we could feel more closed to our natural
surroundings). But, now, we simply ride in our vehicles to do the same task
because we just feel too lazy to get out of our comfort zone. The end result
of such “laziness”? The answer is “Obesity” with a big “O”!

However, the greatest, and also the most dangerous at the same time, in
my opinion, hindrance is that we have actually started to believe that
without technology, we just won’t be able to survive. In other words, we are
leaving ourselves to the “mercy” of technology, and if, God forbids, it ever
stops working, our very existence, as a human race, will be at stake. So,
can we overcome this hindrance? Yes, we sure can if we just reduce our
reliance on technology a little and make ourselves a bit more “active” both
physically and mentally.