Consider this statement: Advancements in communication technology have reduced the quality of human interaction. Write a unified essay in which you perform the following tasks. Explain what you think the abovestatement means. Describe a specific situation in which advancements in communication technologyhave not reduced the quality of human interaction. Discuss what you think determines whether or notadvancements in communication technology have reduced the quality of human interaction.Sample Essay #1Advancements in communication technology have reduced the quality of humaninteractions. On the surface, this statement may seem true. Using our cell phones,email, instant messaging, etc., we talk to people we do not see and barely notice thepeople around us. We are becoming distant from our surroundings. A big part of humaninteraction is when you see and interpret someone’s facial expressions and bodymovements. However, when you know someone well, you can make up their expressions in your mind.Also, there are now such things as webcams, so that you can see what someone is doingwhile you talk to them. There is also something called a videophone. Both of thesethings let you talk to people who you can’t visit because they are very far away. Thesenew technologies are actually increasing the quality of human interaction. So, in thefinal analysis, it depends on the technology and how it’s being used. It also depends onwhether you think of communication as being with local or distant people. SCORE = 2 Explanation of score:The essay addresses all three parts of the writing assignment with some potentially relevant butessentially underdeveloped ideas. The first paragraph invokes some of the ways in whichcommunications technology interferes with human interaction. The second identifies some advancesin technology that overcome these limitations. While both sets of ideas seem pertinent, they are notdeveloped and discussed enough to provide a clear, thorough comparison of conflicting perspectives.Neither idea is pursued beyond the most superficial of considerations, into a legitimate considerationof how the quality of human relationships has been affected by technological innovation. Likewise, the third task is briskly dispatched in two vague and unsatisfying sentences. While thisessay responds to all parts of the rhetorical assignment, it does so in such a cursory manner that itultimately displays little coherence, substance, or true clarity of ideas. Sample Essay #2“Advancements in communication technology have reduced the quality of humaninteraction.” We have all had instances when a text message on the cell phone arrives

from a friend saying that they are unable to do anything tonight. Also, we have allexperienced talking on Instant Messenger to someone who is living right across thestreet. Have human beings really become so lazy that a simple phone call can’t be madewhen plans fall through, or walking across the street to talk to a friend requires toomuch energy? Many communication technology advancements have greatly reduced the quality ofhuman interactions. Many people, especially the younger generation, believe that apersonal conversation on Instant Messenger will suffice. But, how personal can thisreally be without eye contact, facial expressions, and body gestures? A conversation onthe Internet can not do justice to a meeting over a cup of coffee. People make amistake when they believe that the Internet will provide the same social context asmeeting people in person. There is also, however, a positive side to the advancements incommunication technology that has led to a better quality of human interactions. Take,for example, a family who has most of their relatives living in another country andfrequent travel to that country just isn’t possible. Telephone calls are a great way tocatch up, but the use of the digital camera and simple microphone attached to thecomputer is even better. It is now possible for the family to see their relatives andalmost feel like they are right there. There is nothing better than being able to see thefaces of the ones you love. Advancements in communication technology can have a negative or positive effect onthe quality of human interactions. When these advancements are used as an option forbeing lazy and avoiding face to face contact, it is obvious that human interactions will,no doubt, decrease. However, when the technology aids a person in establishing a bettercontact with another individual that wasn’t possible before, then that technology alsoaids the quality of human interactions. Basically, it all comes down to whether there is abetter way to communicate with or without the use of technological advancements. SCORE = 4 Explanation of score:This is a coherent response that clearly presents and compares two opposing perspectives, as directedby the prompt. The ideas in this essay are simple, but relevant, focused, and developed enough for thereader to completely understand what the writer intends to convey. Language use is straightforward,clear, and fluent. Organization could be improved: the address of Task 2 begins awkwardly mid-way through thesecond paragraph. However, we do see some degree of unity to the essay’s ideas, as the writer is ableto bring the two opposing perspectives back into reconciliation with the final paragraph. The two

illustrative examples have served to flesh out the essay’s determining principle—that the positive ornegative impact of new communications technologies is situational, and largely dependent on whatother options people have available to interact with the people they care about. Overall, this essayresponds adequately to the writing assignment. Sample Essay #3With 15 minutes until work begins and the office is in sight, a hunger attack hits.Fifteen minutes is enough time to “grab a quick bite” at the fast food restaurant justmoments away. So you pull up to the drive-through, place your order, hurriedly pay thecashier, and impatiently wait for the arrival of your food. Once you receive said food,it’s off again to the office in a mad dash. You’ve only got a few minutes left! In today’s society, such instances have become commonplace. But do people trulyunderstand and acknowledge what is occurring? Humans have degraded personalinteraction to the point of willingly screaming at a box if it means the food will arrivequicker. With such technological advancements, it is no wonder interpersonalrelationships have taken a nosedive. The growing technological advancements of today’scapitalist society have increased the quantity of human exchange, but have hamperedthe quality. The fast food industry, for example, has served billions, but how many ofthose interchanges have been even slightly profound? Given this state of affairs, it islogical to conclude that, if a relationship is founded within the confines of our currenteconomic system, the introduction of technology will only damage it further. In today’s economic system, technology has become almost synonymous with change, andchange almost always involves the compression of time. What else would one expect in asociety where time is money? The computer industry, for example, introducesimprovements every few months, and these improvements almost always addresscomputation speed, allowing us to send our emails, download files, and browse the webfaster and faster. We pay money—some of us, lots of money—for the convenience ofspeed. Speed, however, doesn’t solve the problem of superficiality. If we’re able toemail our order to the restaurant, we might get it filled faster than if we use thedrive-through window. That doesn’t mean, however, that the relationship is any morepersonal or profound. In fact, all of our personal relationships—to the extent that theyhave been infiltrated by the triumvirate of time, speed, and money—have becomeincreasingly superficial. We’re a people who are rich in acquaintances, but poor infriends. Technology has become a substitute for human interaction. True friendship requiresdelayed gratification. A real relationship between two people requires work and the

investment of time and energy; it doesn’t provide enjoyment-on-demand. Newtechnologies, however, have taught us to expect instant gratification. If we’re feelingempty, we simply turn on the TV and change channels until we find something that fillsvoid. Through technology we learn to live vicariously through other people’s experiences,yet it incapacitates our ability to experience the immediacy and fullness of life itself.Technology becomes an emotional stopgap that allows those of us lacking in social skillsto compensate with interactions through technology. Since we’re using technology as astopgap, however, the core problem is never addressed. A vicious cycle ensues in whichthe victims are the socially inept who are never given the opportunity to move beyondthe level of superficiality in their relationships. To this point, the picture I’ve painted of technology’s impact on human relations hasbeen rather bleak. There are, however, some positive sides to the technologicalrevolution. In those realms that still manage to exist outside of the domain of thecurrent economic system, technological advances have improved the quality of humaninteraction, allowing people to stay in touch over great distances. Family is one of theserealms, and college students today have more ways to communicate with their familiesthan they did 30 years ago. When a close relationship already exists. Technologycertainly proves beneficial. It’s just that there are very few areas of contemporary lifethat remain outside the domain of the push for technology, speed, and money. Even thefamily has been infiltrated. How often do the average parents call their kids’ cellphones to schedule after-school activities and coordinate rides? How often do they usethe cell phone to discuss emotions and help their children make good decisions? I restmy case. SCORE = 6 Explanation of score:Lively and analytical throughout, this essay impresses with both sharp writing and sharp thinking. Themini-narrative of the opening paragraph helps place the topic within the context of a modern capitalistsociety, where human relations are structured by “time, speed, and money.” According to this writer,advancements in communications technology are only a part of the larger economic and social forcesthat degrade human interactions. This conceptual framework structures the essay’s entire discussion,lending complexity and unity throughout. The essay offers insightful ideas at almost every turn (“change almost always involves thecompression of time,” “True friendship requires delayed gratification,” etc.). Moreover, it places eachof these insights into the service of a larger argument that makes a fine distinction between thosehuman relations that exist within the current economic system and those that remain outside of it,especially family. The writer pushes this analysis all the way to the conclusion, with a word of cautionabout how family relations, too, are increasingly vulnerable to erosion, thanks to advancing

communication technologies. The writer’s proficient use of language helps get these subtle and persuasive ideas across withengaging wit and clarity. All three tasks of the writing assignment are not only addressed fully, but areskillfully integrated within a fluid discussion, rather than separated into their own individualparagraphs. The overall result is a thorough, consistently analytical, unified essay that is wellorganized, well developed, and well written.

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