IELTS essay: Has technology caused traditional ways of life to die

IELTS essay topic

When a country develops its technology, the traditional skills and ways of life die out. It is pointless to try and keep them alive.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Sample essay

There is a common belief that technological advancements have made many traditional skills and practices irrelevant today. Modernization has certainly changed the way we live. However, I don’t think that technology has killed tradition.

We don’t want to live in caves just because our ancestors did so. Technology has certainly made such ways of life obsolete and I feel that it is a positive development. If technology develops, that is because people want it to develop. All the facilities and amenities that we enjoy today are the products of technological advancement. If there was no technology we would still be living in caves, hunting animals for food.

Technology cannot or will not change traditional ways of living if people want to preserve them. We can find examples of this in societies all over the world. For example, my grandmother still makes pickles in the traditional way. She doesn’t use preservatives although they are readily available now. Likewise, my mother still cooks fish curry in clay pots. She likes to wear handmade saris although machine made saris are also available today. India still has a booming handloom industry. These are all examples of how people preserve their traditions. Just because the world has advanced technologically, nobody is forcing people to change their way of life. They embrace change only when they want to do.

Now if we look at this from another angle it is not hard to see that modern appliances are a boon for busy people. Many working couples can’t imagine a life without washing machines, refrigerators or dishwashers. Most of them have given up traditional ways of cooking and cleaning. It is a choice mandated by circumstances.

To conclude, I certainly don’t believe that technological advancements have caused traditional ways of life to die out. Technology has merely presented another option. It is up to us to decide whether we want to embrace modern ways or traditional ways. As for the question of whether traditions should be allowed to die because preserving them is pointless, well, I feel that societies all over the world have preserved customs and traditions that are important to them. Those that change are certainly those that weren’t good in the first place.