Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones for communication has negative effect on young people’s reading and writing skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree？(2022/8/20)（重復20150328考試原題）

Some people think the increasing use of computers and mobile phones for communication has had a negative effect on young people’s reading and writing skills. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

As technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, the way people read and write has undergone a noticeable and far-reaching transformation. Under this circumstance, an absolute consensus can hardly be reached whether the sweeping trend of（風靡的趨勢） computers and mobile phones will impose adverse influences on youngsters’ reading and writing skills. I harbor the belief that（認為） these young people may lose some of these skills if they use these devices improperly.

It has to be admitted that those who know how to take advantage of these kinds of communication tools cangain greater advantages over（獲得更大的優勢） their peers in terms of reading and writing skill acquisition . To be specific, some young users smartly employ the devices to work with their teams on their school projects. During the process, they share and discuss useful reading materials for their essays or proofread（校對） one another’s writings. The communication tools in this case can contribute to better literacy skills.

However, much heavier weight should be attached to（更加關注） the drawbacks brought about by this phenomenon. For one thing, being addicted to/overindulgence in phones and computers for casual chatting is time-consuming, which will result in less energy for reading. Some young addicts spend excessive hours contacting with their friends, which takes up their reading time and gradually leads to the loss of interest in reading. Then, their reading skills will be degraded in a long run..

For another, as some young people have become accustomed to a kind of lazy language which consists of inaccurate spelling and wrong grammar, they might use this casual-communication-based languages for formal writing unconsciously. As a result, their writing appears unacceptable and unprofessional in many formal settings, which is the least thing we would expect to see(這是我們最不希望看到的事情).

In light of the analysis mentioned above, I am convinced that if computers and mobile phones are heavily used for activities like chatting, it is possible that the overuse will adversely affect young people’s reading and writing skills. On the other hand, the proper use of these communication tools may present a positive effect. Just as an old saying goes, fire is a good servant, but a bad master.