As technology develops, more shopping and business is done through the internet while communication face to face becomes less frequent. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Nowadays, some people choose to go shopping and do business online, which has led to less face-to-face communication in their life. Some have taken this trend as an unfavourable development, while others disagree. This essay will explore both its positive and negative effects. Some hold that online shopping and business, promoted by technology, have brought much convenience and simplicity. First, with computers and mobile phones wildly used today, we can easily find what we need on the Internet. But if we go to shops for clothes, we would probably meet many troubles, such as wasting time travelling on the road, trying on quite a few pieces of clothes, and possibly queuing up in a long line of consumers. In addition3 online business, such as video conference3 can save businesspersons' time. Then, those working in international companies do not need to travel for meetings. However, fewer opportunities to see others, resulted in by the increasing use of the Internet, might bring a consequence where individuals cannot effectively communicate with others in their life. If they rely on the Internet for almost everything, either shopping or business, perhaps they will sit all day before the computer without having to talk at all. Once before another person in their life, it is likely that they would not know how to express themselves and respond to others. In my opinion, the advantages of online shopping and business outweigh their disadvantages. For it is the netizens, instead of the Internet itself, that has brought inconvenience to their own life. To eliminate the negative effects of the Internet, they have to raise their ability of self-control.