TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Technology helps us understand ourselves. - revised -

Writing Topic

Consider the following statement. Technology helps us understand ourselves. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Support your response by including specific reasons and examples.

 

☆Let’s Think

1.       What does “to understand ourselves” mean?

Note: To understand ourselves may mean to understand what is a human as well as what kind of person you are. It could also mean where we are and what is important in life.

2.    How do we understand ourselves?

Note: To understand ourselves, we need to be objective, compare ourselves with others, and have plenty of information.

2.       Does technology help us do what you answered to Question 2?

 

☆Hints for Points

Agree

1.       Information about us is collected by technology. Thanks to the advancement of technology, we now have very accurate information about the history of the earth and life. Also, AI has shown us not only that we humans are not as smart as we used to think we were but also that we have heart.

2.       Watching the world and people leads to understanding of ourselves. Media provide us with abundant information about the world and people. Through the information, you see the difference between you and others. You can also have insights about humans. For example, videos show us we humans can be both brave and cowardly, angelic and evil.

3.       Interaction with other people helps us understand ourselves, and technology increases the opportunity to interact with others. For example, by communicating with others through social media, you can learn what kind of person you are. You can also learn that you are not an anomaly by finding many people who share some tastes or ideas with you.

4.       Technology helps find individual characteristics. For example, DNA analysis shows you what kind of people you are related to, what kind of property your body has, and whether the risk of your having a particular disease is high or not.

 

Disagree

1.       Technology deals with matter, the physical side of the world, so it can tell us only about our physical aspect. For example, it does not tell why we sometimes feel lonely without any reason.

2.       The smartphone does not tell you what kind of person you really are. There might be some apps that tell you what type of personality you have, but this categorization does not lead to real understanding of yourself. You have to interact with other people and see what you will do with them and how others will treat you to see who you are. You have to read books written by other humans.

3.       Information gained through technology might be distracting us from self-reflection. We think we have understood ourselves by watching TV news and Twitter feeds and do not explore ourselves more deeply. For example, technology told us that we had conquered nature, when we actually should have known that we had just disrupted nature by technology and were to get the backlash.

4.       Social media can distort our image of ourselves. It is easy to wear a persona online and we can believe it our real character. Also, when we should be satisfied with life just by being alive, many people suffer from the gap between that which they think they should be and that which they actually are by comparing themselves with “others,” even though those “others” might be making themselves look better than they really are.

 

☆Sample Essay Structure

【Main Idea】Technology helps us understand ourselves to some extent, but not to the full.

【Humanity Studies】Technology helps humanities studies.

【Media】Interaction with others through media leads to insights in ourselves.

【Reservation】However, it is important to remember that technology has limits in helping us know who we are because it is made by humans.

【Conclusion】Technology has helped us learn about ourselves a lot, but we cannot think that we can know everything about ourselves through technology.

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Main Idea】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3】

【Conclusion】