Digital communication technology, such as email, instant messaging and social media has improved communication and connections between people. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Give reasons for your answer and include examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

There is a common belief that advances in technology have changed how people connect and form relationships with others. In this essay, I will argue that while digital communication may be easy and convenient, it can distance relationships. Compared to the past, technologies now can make communication with people easier, cheaper and more convenient, wherever they may be. Such applications like instant messaging, email, or VOIP (e. g. Skype) have obviously transformed the ways in which human beings communicate with each other. This can be seen in the fact that thirty years ago, to get in touch with someone in a different country, people had to board international flights or trains, which was difficult and frequently expensive. Today, a communicator can take her or his phone out of the pocket and contact people all over the world at the push of a button. While technology may have made it easier for people to communicate, it seems to be ineffective ways of communication, even causing serious damage to people's connections. So much communication is non-verbal. In other words, communicators also need to rely on body language, facial expressions and other subtle cues to understand others. However, in a text message or an email, or even with video chat, those signals are lost, leading to either difficulty in deep understanding or misunderstanding. Thus, in many cases communication through email, instant messaging software or social media websites weakens the connection of people. In conclusion, although I believe that digital technology brings convenience and easiness in contact with someone the connection between people weakens in the absence of verbal communication.