111. Because of recent advancements in business and technology, the overall quality of life in most societies has never been better than at the present time.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
The stated opinion is that recent advancements in business and technology have made overall quality of life better than ever. I disagree somewhat with the speakers viewpoint. For although such advancements have improved our lives in many respects, they have also diminished our quality of life in other ways.
Clearly, progress in business and technology has produced many benefits. For example, we can research problems and their solutions in minutes on the Internet; productivity is at an all-time high. And we can get more done in less time, leaving more time for hobbies, entertainment or other leisure activities. We can even mix a little work into our leisure time, by taking our laptops and cell phones on vacation . This way, we can stay one step ahead on projects at work, anticipating deadlines and staying in touch with co-workers and important clients.
In addition, leisure time has itself been enhanced by business and technology. Never before have we had so many spectacular diversions available, or so many leisure- and entertainment-related businesses vying for our attention. Moreover, we can obtain everything form airline tickets to a language course and holiday wardrobe a summer wardrobe) via the Internet, in the convenience of our own homes.
Nevertheless, advances in business and technology have compromised our quality of life as well. For all the wonders of computers, they have spawned their own special illnesses and ailments, like severe eyestrain , back and neck problems, and carpal tunnel syndrome . And though we now have a world of information available in a keystroke , some of this information―like pornography, hate group diatribes and bomb-building instructions―are harming our society, especially our children. Even apparently harmless material, like direct mail advertising and telephone soliciting, is endlessly annoying. Finally, family life is sometimes a casualty of all this progress, with parents and children spending more time transfixed before their computer monitors and less time together.
In conclusion, advances in business and technology are a mixed blessing. For while we enjoy many benefits of this so-called progress, in many ways it has changed our lives for the worse.