IELTS HUBIELTS Agree Disagree Essay on Media & Tech & Society
Full IELTS Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Many today feel that attention spans are becoming shorter due to the prevalence of social media.
To what extent Do you agree or disagree?
Write at least 250 words.
Introduction
Paraphrase the topic about social media and attention spans. State strong agreement with the view.
Body Paragraph 1 View 1
Topic sentence: Fast-paced nature of social media and short content trains users to process quickly. Explanation: Creates shallow engagement. Example: Twitter's character limit.
Body Paragraph 2 View 2
Topic sentence: Endless scrolling causes distraction. Explanation: Designed for continuous engagement, discouraging focus. Example: Microsoft study stat on attention span drop.
Body Paragraph 3 Opinion (Optional If Integrated)
Topic sentence: Immediate satisfaction through likes/shares encourages searching for new content. Explanation: Creates impatience with content requiring focus. Example: Trend of viral, short content.
Conclusion
Summarize the main supporting points (quick consumption, distracting design, immediate satisfaction). Reiterate strong agreement that social media causes shorter attention spans.
Band 9 Sample Answer:
In today's digital age, many people believe that the widespread use of social media is causing shorter attention spans. I strongly agree with this view for several convincing reasons.
First, the fast-paced nature of social media, with its short, quick content, trains users to process information quickly. This constant flow of brief information creates a shallow engagement environment where understanding is often sacrificed for speed. For example, platforms like Twitter, with its 280-character limit, encourage users to quickly take in and discard information.
Second, the endless scrolling feature common on most social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, keeps users in a constant state of distraction. This feature, designed to keep users continuously engaged, worsens the problem by discouraging focus on a single piece of content. A Microsoft study found that since social media came into existence, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds, a statistic that clearly illustrates this point.
Finally, the immediate satisfaction provided by social media, through likes and shares, encourages a constant search for new content. This search, in turn, creates impatience with content that requires more than a quick look, further reducing attention spans. The trend of 'viral' content, which often includes short, easy-to-understand videos or memes, is a perfect example of this.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that the widespread use of social media is indeed causing shorter attention spans. This belief is supported by the quick consumption of short content, the distracting design of social media platforms, and the culture of immediate satisfaction that these platforms promote.
Band 7 Sample Answer:
In the contemporary digital era, a prevalent belief is that the omnipresence of social media is contributing to a reduction in attention spans. I wholeheartedly concur with this assertion, attributing the phenomenon to several compelling reasons.
Firstly, the rapid-fire nature of social media platforms, characterized by bite-sized content, conditions users to process information hastily. This constant bombardment of condensed information fosters an environment of superficial engagement, where depth of understanding is often sacrificed for speed. As a case in point, the popularity of platforms like Twitter, with its 280-character limit, encourages users to consume and discard information at an unprecedented pace.
Secondly, the infinite scroll feature prevalent on most social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, perpetuates a state of constant distraction. This feature, designed to keep users endlessly engaged, exacerbates the issue by discouraging sustained focus on a single piece of content. A study by Microsoft found that since the advent of social media, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds, a statistic that starkly illustrates this point.
Lastly, the instant gratification provided by social media, in the form of likes and shares, fuels a relentless pursuit for novelty. This pursuit, in turn, fosters an impatience with content that requires more than a cursory glance, thereby further diminishing attention spans. The phenomenon of 'viral' content, which often consists of short, easily digestible videos or memes, exemplifies this trend.
In conclusion, I am in firm agreement that the ubiquity of social media is indeed leading to a contraction in attention spans. This stance is substantiated by the rapid consumption of bite-sized content, the distraction-inducing design of social media platforms, and the culture of instant gratification that these platforms engender.