Sample Argument Intro and Body 1 Rough Draft

Sample Argument Intro and Body 1 Rough Draft

Watch the news or browse the Internet and the virtual world looks pretty frightening. Lies, betrayal, and even violence may be perpetuated through relationships that begin online. Despite this grim picture, though, people can make real friends on the Internet. When approached with common sense, this judgment–free and infinite platform may actually allow people with shared interests to bond in ways far greater than friends within a limited proximity.

While opponents to the concept of real internet friends will claim that anonymity fosters the sinister side of human nature, this view is too absolute and one-sided. True, concerns stem from CATFISHING, cyber stalking, or even what Graeme Mc Millan’s newspaper article, “The Internet Helps You Make Friends,”addresses; the Internet maymake people “more withdrawn and closed off from the rest of humanity” (lines 1-3). What distinguishes these fears from the reality of the situation is that we must consider the role of personal responsibility and common sense here. When establishing Internet friendships, individuals have freewill as to how much personal information they unveil to virtual strangers and how much balance they maintain between virtual and face-to-face contact. Sally Arthur’sarticle, “Making Friends through the Internet” addresses this fact in lines 6-8 when she assures her readers that we do not have to expose our address, our age, or other sensitive details that may get us into trouble.When people are aware and careful about potentialpitfalls, they may then focus on the fact that anonymity can actually be advantageous and our scope of friends, boundless. Anonymityactually allows people to relax into friendships without the judgments surroundingwhat we wear, whom we hang out with, and even our socio-economic background. For example, astudent who faces ridicule at school because of his style and rough home life would be able to find common ground and solace with an internet friend who is not privy to these superficial issues, nor is this virtual friend concerned about the stigma that may befall him if he chooses to befriend that “unpopular” individual. Likewise, in the case of shy students who have trouble making friends face-to-face but have so much to offer, the Internet “allows people to practice their social skills in an anonymous setting” (Arthur lines 9-10).A classmate of mine was so reticent that she would not even raise her hand in class when she knew the answer, nor would she join any club because she did not want people to look at her. She would brim with anxiety each day at school, but she confided in me that she has made true friends on the internet through her writing which she shares in aFanfiction group. She adds that she has no problem being herself and feels funny and smart” within the comforts of these friends. She even admits that she has now joined the Creative Writing Club and has shared her writings aloud as a result of the confidence she built through the encouragement of these internet friendships. Without social pressure and anxiety, real “virtual” friendships are a possibility for those who feel excluded from face-to-face contact.

In addition to the stigma-free environment,internet friendships destroy the boundaries we used to have. An excellent example of the promise of internet friendships can be found through Eric Whitacre’s experience as the founder of a virtual choir. In his 2011 TED Lecture, he points out thatas a result of these strangers from all of over the world coming together for a common goal, he feels a “virtual esprit de corps, … a closeness to this choir --almost like a family.” One particular choir member who was isolated in the Alaskan bush asserts that the computer is actually her link to the outside world. We cannot deny that her friendships, although online, are any less worthy than those of people who are able to connect physically.