Question
The development of modern technology has made people's life more complex, so people should choose to have a simple and easy life without using technology. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.
Sample answer
The advancement of modern technology is making people's life more comfortable and at the same time less human. To those who enjoy the benefits of technology, there is no better time to be alive than now, but to others life has been increasingly complex and stressful. The issue is whether such new technological machines as computers and the Internet would be our servants forever or eventually could become our masters.
All kinds of inventions made possible by technology are designed to be the slaves of human beings, if human beings are not to be slaved by machines. Once upon a time, we were plain people, but that was before we began having relationships with technological systems. By getting involved with computerized machines, we could not help changing the way we live and the way we work, for better or for worse It can be realized that life is more complex because much of modern technology is not born to meet primary human needs, and many "unnecessary" inventions are producing negative effects on a living style that used to be relatively simple. Thus, there is an overwhelming feeling of complexity in the sense that machines act like humans and humans act like machines. Now that "intelligent" machines such as robots are widely applied to take the place of human beings because they are capable of doing many useful jobs, although making many people jobless. Those who cannot work with computers are disadvantaged and therefore helpless while the traditional skills and simple ways of life are fading away, never to return again.
Technology has turned this world into a different one full of wonders, some of them being too good to be true. For example, mobile phone is playing an important role in our social and professional lives, whereas the Internet has connected people at every corner on the planet and beyond. As a consequence, telecommuting may soon become a more common way of working as more people are doing part of their jobs from home. And so what? Actually people are no closer to feeling happy in various respects because such technological developments are destroying many basic values of simple and easy lifestyles. Computers in particular have made life less emotional since the more time people use the Internet, the less time they spend with human beings.
In sum, there are reasons to be worried about what will become of mankind as a whole facing an increasingly complex world in which they may enjoy all the conveniences of life and yet they do not feel any happier or wiser. Who knows that over-dependence on modern technology could not mean the beginning of the end of human sparks of creativity, spirit, compassion, love and understanding and other good things about a simple and easy life. In making people's lives more enjoyable but more complex, technology seems as if sending plenty of blessings from heaven as well as sending plenty of evils from hell.
